


Where Kara has Something to Tell Danny

by tmtcltb



Category: The Last Ship (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-08-12 01:11:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 83,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7914583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmtcltb/pseuds/tmtcltb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an AU storyline focusing on Danny Green and Kara Foster that started as a one-shot and then I kept expanding. The premise is that there was no pandemic and the Nathan James returned to Norfolk on schedule. This story includes my usual OCs although this is a stand alone story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Shit._

Kara stared down at the two pink lines on the test front of her, her stomach knotting. She wasn't surprised exactly. The strict exercise regiment that she adhered to meant that her periods were often light (or nonexistent), but the nausea that had woken her up daily for the last week had been a pretty glaring sign. And then there were her breasts. Both Danny and Alisha had commented on their sudden pornstar size, Danny with appreciation and Alisha with suspicion. Still, Kara had held out some hope that there was another explanation.

Kara sat down on the toilet, hand touching her stomach as the news sunk in. There was a baby in there. A little person. A little bit of her. A little bit of Danny. It was amazing – and terrifying.

Things had been going so well since they arrived back from the Arctic six weeks ago. Danny had officially rotated off the Nathan James upon their arrival in Norfolk, which meant they no longer had to worry about violating the fraternization policy. It had been a relief to be able to see each other openly – going out to dinner, getting together with friends, and spending time alone – without fear of exposure. Danny had practically moved into her apartment over the past few weeks, only returning to the place he shared with Frankie to retrieve belongings when necessary. Kara had even introduced him to her mother. Debbie Foster, predictability, had been utterly captivated by Danny's sunny smile and charming manner. And when Debbie had consumed a few too many with lunch and kissed him smack on the lips while saying goodbye, Danny had taken it in stride, cracking jokes to keep Debbie laughing as he maneuvered her into a cab. Later, when Kara had tried to thank him, Danny had brushed it off as nothing, launching into a number of stories involving times when he'd had to deal with far more belligerent drunks – his teammates.

But now. This. This changed everything. Kara closed her eyes and tried to remember the last time she had her period. It had been about halfway through their time in the arctic. Which meant this baby might have been conceived on the Nathan James. And that sort of evidence of "conduct unbecoming to an officer" would not go unnoticed by their respective commands. Danny, especially, had been on an accelerated advancement track with the intent of becoming a lifer. A letter of censure could easily derail his Navy career. If there was an investigation…well, then he could kiss his life in the Navy goodbye.

"Kara?" Alicia's voice was concerned as she knocked on the bathroom door. They were in the apartment that Alisha shared with Sarah (who had relocated to Virginia during their absence in the arctic and was now working as an administrator at a local hospital), since Kara hadn't wanted to risk Danny coming home to find her peeing on a pregnancy test. Squaring her shoulders, Kara opened the door to face the woman that had become her closest friend over the past six months. Although, on the surface, she and Alisha Granderson had little in common, their personalities complimented each other. Alisha brought levity to Kara's serious nature and Kara helped ground Alisha. Plus, having been raised by a single mother herself, more than anyone else, Alisha understood the complicated relationship that Kara had with Debbie Foster. Alisha understood why Kara put up with Debbie's drinking and embarrassing behavior, in the same way that Kara understood why Alisha tolerated Amy Granderson's denial of Alisha's relationship with Sarah.

Kara held out the test, her hand trembling. "I can't believe this happened. We were using protection. What am I going to tell Danny?"

"You tell him that he's going to be a daddy," Alisha replied firmly. Kara bit her lip apprehensively, and Alisha gave her a tight squeeze. "It's going to be okay. Danny is crazy about you! Sure he'll be surprised but he'll adjust. I bet he asks you to marry him. He seems like the kind of guy that would want to get married before having a baby." Alisha giggled a little at her last statement.

"I think you're jumping the gun a little there. He's never even said that he loves me. I doubt he's thinking marriage," Kara protested. "Besides, I don't want to get married because he thinks it's the right thing to do. _If_ we got married, I would want it to be because we want to spend our lives together. Like you and Sarah."

Alisha rolled her eyes. "The two of you practically live together already. He introduces you to everyone as his girlfriend. He's already talking about vacation plans for next summer. The guy is clearly thinking long term."

"He won't introduce me to his sister. That can't be a good sign."

A few days ago Danny had casually mentioned that his sister was coming to visit, and would be arriving today, but he hadn't made any plans for Kara to meet her. Kara suspected she knew the reason why – Danny's sister was best friends with his long-term ex-girlfriend and their relationship had been tense before he left for the arctic. Still, Danny's reluctance to introduce Kara to his sister rankled.

"Family relationships are tricky. You know that," Alisha pointed out. "My mother is still barely civil to Sarah."

"I know. The timing on this is just really bad." Kara paused. "Besides, there might be another complication. I'm not sure how far along I am."

Alisha's eyes widened in shock and sudden understanding. "You mean... Kara Elizabeth Foster! You did not have sex on the ship! Oh my god! You did! You didn't use my bunk, did you?"

"Of course not," Kara retorted, before admitting, "We used Danny's. Just a few times when Frankie was on night duty. I, uh, think that Danny told Frankie what was going on."

Kara didn't bother listing the other places around the ship that Danny had found for them to have "alone time." She had quickly discovered how creative and goal-oriented SEALs could be when they were on a mission. And finding places to be alone (and naked) had definitely been a priority mission to Danny.

Kara flopped on the couch while Alisha burst out laughing. "I don't really see the humor. If it comes out, Danny and I both face official reprimands. Danny will probably lose that promotion he's been gunning for."

Alisha stopped laughing, although her eyes still gleamed with humor. "He probably should have thought about that before dropping his pants. But I get why he couldn't wait. You're beautiful. He's lucky that I had Sarah or I _totally_ would have gone after you myself."

Kara shook her head at Alisha, who was wiggling her eyebrows at Kara suggestively, before giving her friend a grudging smile. "I can't go to the doctor on base until I know how far along I am. Could Sarah help me get an appointment?"

"I'll call her right now," Alisha replied, picking up the phone. Kara waited anxiously as Alisha talked to her girlfriend. "Okay, she got you an appointment for today at three, with an ultrasound to follow. Are you going to ask Danny to go with you?"

"I'm not going to tell him anything until I know what we are dealing with," Kara replied firmly.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Three hours later, Kara sat across from doctor who looked remarkably like Santa Claus, right down to the suspenders, while he studied the results of her bloodwork. Alisha had offered to go to the appointment with her, but Kara didn't want to involve her friend any more than she already had, just in case the Navy opened an official inquiry. No reason to destroy Alisha's career as well.

"Congratulations Ms. Foster." The doctor looked up with a smile. "I can confirm that you are, indeed, pregnant."

"Do you know how far along?" Kara asked anxiously.

"Not from the bloodwork. Given the uncertainty regarding your cycles, an ultrasound is the best way to establish your due date."

Kara smiled and nodded as the man continued to talk about vitamins and future appointments, without listening to a word he was saying, focused only on getting through this appointment and finding out the answer to the question that was on the forefront of her mind. Once the doctor left, there was another thirty minute wait before the ultrasound. Not knowing what to expect, Kara was startled when an image of a baby appeared on the screen before her. She gasped.

"It looks like a real baby," Kara whispered. "Little arms and legs and a face and everything."

"Amazing, isn't it?" The technician said in a friendly manner as she took measurements and made notes. "Is the baby's father deployed?"

Puzzled by the question, Kara realized that most people probably didn't come in alone. Would Danny be upset that he missed this moment?

The first time seeing their baby? "He's on duty," she replied finally.

"Would you like a picture for him?" the woman asked as she finished the scans.

Thanking the woman, Kara sat up and adjusted her clothing. "Oh, did you figure out my due date?"

"Oh, yes, June 9th."

Kara stared at the woman. June 9th. Nine months to the day of the Nathan James' arrival in Norfolk. Or, as the Navy more succinctly put it, a homecoming baby. Kara could already hear the ribbing that she was going to be taking from the guys in CIC.

Tucking the ultrasound picture carefully in her purse as she walked out of the office, Kara pulled out her phone and was surprised to see five missed calls and a number of text messages. She had shut off her phone before going into the doctor's office, but it had only been a couple of hours. Kara checked her watch. 1730. The last time that she received this many messages on a Thursday afternoon had been when the crew was abruptly recalled to the Nathan James in the middle of shore leave. Before she could check her messages, another call popped up from Alisha.

"Is everyone okay? You've called," Kara stopped to check her missed call log, "three times in the last thirty minutes."

"I'm fine," Alicia sighed. "But Sarah may have spilled the beans. She ran into Danny when she was leaving the hospital and assumed he was there with you, so she asked how the appointment went."

Kara closed her eyes for a second. Well that explained the calls and texts. "That's all? Just that I had an appointment?"

"She's not sure," Alisha admitted. "She can't remember if she said appointment or ultrasound. She realized almost immediately that he didn't know what she was talking about and tried to cover, but… She's really sorry. We both are. I should have told her not to say anything."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Kara replied resolutely, although inside she was cursing her bad luck. Of all days for Sarah to run into Danny. "I planned to tell him tonight anyway."

"Let me know how it goes, okay?" Alisha sounded worried.

"I will." Hanging up the phone, Kara checked her phone again. Besides two missed calls from Danny's cell, Kara could see several texts.

_3:08: Missed you at home. You with A?_

_3:59: Leaving for train station. Drinks at Shippers at 9?_

_4:27: Drinks? Need to confirm with the guys._

_4:51: God C can be a PITA._

_5:02: Call me._

_5:11: You okay? Ran into Sarah. Said you were at Memorial?_

_5:19: Where are you?_

_5:29: Call me as soon as you get this._

Kara groaned. Great. The last thing she wanted to do was have this conversation in front of his sister – one who was already predisposed to dislike her. Hitting redial, Kara wasn't surprised when Danny picked up on the first ring.

"Kara? Where are you?" He sounded worried. "I've been trying to reach you."

"Sorry, I had a doctor's appointment and turned my phone off," Kara explained, keeping her tone casual. From the background noise she suspected that he was at a restaurant or bar.

"At Memorial?" Danny asked, his tone relaxing but a tint of suspicion remaining in his voice. Normally they both would have gone to the health clinic on base, which was quick and, more importantly, free.

"I needed some bloodwork done last minute and couldn't get it done on base so Sarah set it up for me. I didn't think to tell you." Okay, well that was a lie. Before he could ask another question, she added, "We can talk about it later."

"Hold on." Danny said something that Kara couldn't catch over the background noise. "Since you're downtown anyway, you should join us for dinner. We're at Melissa's on Grove Street. You can meet Caro."

Kara paused. Melissa's was a three minute walk, tops, so she didn't have much of an excuse to say no. "Sure. I'll be there in a few."

The place was fairly crowded for a Thursday evening, but Kara quickly found Danny sitting towards the back with a woman that Kara immediately recognized from pictures. Caroline Green. In addition to being striking, Caroline looked remarkably put together for someone that had just finished a six hour train ride. Kara smiled as she approached the table, wishing that she was wearing something a little nicer than the jeans and sweater that she had thrown on to meet Alisha for lunch.

"Hi sweetheart." Danny stood up to give her a quick kiss, pulling out her chair. "This is my sister, Caroline. Caro, this is Kara."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kara said, smiling at the other woman.

"You as well." Caroline took a bite of her burger, causing Kara to realize that she was _starving_. She swiped a french fry from Danny's plate.

"So tell me all about yourself? Danny hasn't really said anything."

_Ouch_. Well, Danny had said that his sister was … direct.

"That might be because we've barely talked in the past six months, Caro," Danny responded drily. "For all I know you're married with a kid on the way."

"I'm a tactical action officer on a naval destroyer," Kara interrupted, not liking where the conversation was going, and snagging a few more of Danny's fries. "Danny and I met on our last assignment up in the arctic."

"What can I get for you, ma'am?"

Kara was startled by the server's sudden appearance. "Oh, a cheeseburger. Double pickles, no tomatoes, with fries. Thank you."

Danny laughed as the man walked away. "You must be hungry. I've never seen you eat a burger."

Kara shrugged. He was right. Burgers and fries were not on the list of foods that she normally ate, too high in fat. But right now a burger sounded _delicious_. Kara wondered how early food cravings began. Didn't a craving for meat indicate a boy?

"So you two have been dating for a month?" Caroline asked. Kara thought she could hear Danny grinding his teeth. It wasn't so much _what_ Caroline was saying as _how_ she was saying it, and if her goal was to annoy Danny, she was succeeding.

"About six weeks," Kara replied cautiously. "But we've known each other for six months now. We were friends first."

Kara caught the smirk that crossed Danny's face and knew exactly what he was thinking. _Friends with benefits_. She gave him an annoyed look as she took the last of his fries. She was considering taking a bite out of the burger that he had barely touched when her own food arrived. Kara let Danny handle the conversation (which had turned to mutual friends, most of whom Kara had never heard of) as she polished off her burger. It had been as delicious as she imagined. Just then Danny's phone pinged and he quickly checked the message.

"The guys are going to Shippers at nine if you want to say hello," Danny said, his question directed at Caroline.

Caroline frowned. "I don't want to spend an evening having to play nice while Frankie glowers at me and Bercham tries to grab my ass. I'm here to talk to _you_ Danny."

"You don't need to play peacemaker, Caro. If I wanted to talk to Rebecca, I would have called her. And I'm pretty sure she knows my number."

"The two of you don't know what you want," Caroline retorted.

Feeling awkward, Kara excused herself to use the restroom. When she returned, Danny was in the process of paying the bill, and his sister was nowhere in sight.

"Everything okay?" Kara asked as she sat back down.

Danny shrugged, but Kara could tell that something was wrong. He was acting too controlled, not quite meeting her eyes. "She went off pissed. When she told me that she wanted to come visit, I thought that she was ready to accept that Rebecca and I are over. That I'd moved on. But she started in the minute she got off the train. Let's get out of here."

"Shouldn't we wait for your sister?" Kara asked. "Isn't she staying at your place?"

"My place?" Danny sounded surprised. "She has a hotel down the street. I thought that I told you. Frankie barred her from the apartment. They don't get along."

"Frankie doesn't like her?" Kara replied, startled. "I didn't think that was possible. Frankie likes everyone."

"There are a few people on his list. Mostly my sister." Danny chuckled as they walked down the street towards Kara's place. "But enough about Caroline. Are you okay? Why were you at Memorial?"

Kara took a deep breath and stopped so she could look up at Danny, placing a hand on his arm, thankful that they were alone on this particular stretch of street. "I'm fine. I just don't know how to tell you this …"

"Does it have anything to do with a sudden desire to eat burgers, nausea, growing boobs, and the ultrasound picture in your purse?" Danny asked, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

"What? How? What were you doing in my purse?" Kara stumbled through the words, completely thrown by the turn of the conversation.

"I was looking for some dollar bills for the tip," Danny said with a shrug. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her towards him, smiling down at her in that special way, the one that melted her heart. "So is it true?"

"Yes," Kara admitted softly, raising a hand to cup his cheek. "I'm pregnant. Due June 9th."

"A baby. I'm going to be a father." Danny's voice sounded awed as he leaned down to kiss her gently, his eyes never leaving hers. Stepping back slightly, he splayed a hand across her stomach, lightly, hesitantly, much like Kara had done only a few hours before. "I love you so much, Kara. I can't imagine living my life with anyone else. I hope you know that."

Kara's eyes filled with tears as she reached up to pull him down for another kiss, murmuring against his lips, "I love you too."

A few minutes later Danny pulled away. "Is your due date really June 9th?"

"Yes," Kara mumbled, feeling slightly mortified. "Maybe we can tell everyone the 10th instead, just so it’s not _so_ obvious."

"Hell no!" Danny replied with a laugh, sliding his arm around her as they headed in the direction of her apartment. "I'm a SEAL, sweetheart. Homecoming babies are a point of pride.”


	2. Where Danny has Something to Ask Kara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Credit to AIP for the name Dennis Milowsky.

"Are you sure you won't come along?" Danny asked as he hauled his bags of snow gear out of the closet and dumped them on his bed. A bed that was currently occupied by one Frankie Benz, who was lounging there with his eyes closed, hand lazily petting Halsey, apparently not a care in the world.

"Let me think," Frankie drawled. "Should I cancel my trip to Mexico, which will involve beaches, beer and women in bikinis, to go with you to Vermont for a ski trip less than three months after spending four months in the arctic freezing my ass off. A ski trip, I might add, that will involve your entire family,  _including your completely insane sister_ , spending four days together at a ski lodge, where you will be introducing them to your girlfriend for the first time. A girlfriend who they don't know is pregnant. Oh, and I almost forgot, you are also planning to propose to said girlfriend while you are there because apparently you enjoy making yourself crazy. Hmmmm, tough decision."

"You're a dink," Danny retorted, digging through the bag and tossing the contents haphazardly on Frankie as he pulled out his ski clothes. He really should have unpacked when the Nathan James first made port, but he hadn't wanted to even think about snow by the time they got home to Norfolk and it had been easier to shove the bags to the back of his closet. Quite frankly, he would much rather be going to Mexico with Frankie right now, lounging on the beach, sipping a beer, Kara sitting next to him in a trim little bikini. But he hadn't seen his parents or brother in almost a year and he hadn't had the heart to say no when his mother proposed this little family get-together. Besides, it was the perfect time to introduce his family to Kara. Well, sort of. Caro's presence was bound to cause complications. Although they had hammered out something of a truce during her less-than-successful visit last month, things with his sister remained tense.

"Why are you bringing this stuff anyway?" Frankie asked. "I thought the doctor said Kara couldn't go skiing."

"He did. Sort of." At Frankie's raised eyebrow, Danny confessed, "He said that it was fine if she took it easy and stayed away from the advanced trails. I think she was annoyed when I sent her some links about why skiing while pregnant is a bad idea."

"You have been a total pill recently. What are you so stressed out about anyway? Kara's already met your sister so the worst is behind you. The rest of your family is normal – nice even."

"What if she says no?" Danny mumbled, throwing himself down on the bed next to Frankie despite the clothing covering the surface. "I had to get permission from two chains of command to even ask her to marry me. Everyone knows that this is the weekend. If we don't come back engaged..."

"Are you worried that she'll say no because you actually want to marry her or because Berchem will never let you live it down after the crap you put us through the last month finding the  _perfect_   _ring_?" Frankie asked sardonically.

"Both," Danny admitted with a chuckle. "More that she doesn't want to marry me. Or that she says yes because she feels like we need to get married. I want to do this the right way. Not in a 'you're pregnant so let's get hitched' kind of way. I want it to be special."

"If you are looking for advice on how to get her to say yes, you're talking to the wrong person. My track record in the female department is abysmal. They all pat me on the head and tell me that I'm ' _such a nice_   _guy_ '. Go talk to Berchem."

"That is not going to happen." Berchem's ill-fated marriage had lasted less than two years but the emotional fallout was still continuing. Despite his reputation as a womanizer and flirt, Berchem really had loved his now ex-wife and had been devastated when she not only pulled the plug, but moved on with another man within months. They had returned from the arctic to find that she had remarried. The last thing Danny wanted to do right now was reopen that wound. "Although Berchem did say that I should have gone with a diamond. Maybe he was right."

"I thought Kara wanted a tanzanite." Frankie sounded resigned, probably because they had engaged in the same conversation a dozen times in the last two weeks.

"She mentioned in the arctic that she loved her mother's ring, which was a tanzanite, but we weren't exactly talking engagement rings at the time," Danny replied. He jumped up from the bed. "Maybe we should go look again, in case there is something we haven't seen. You coming?"

Frankie sighed as he rolled off the bed to follow his buddy. "You don't need another ring, Danny. What you need to do is chill out before Kara figures out that you are certifiably insane."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny piled their bags on the luggage cart and turned the keys to the rental car over to the valet, glancing at Kara. The parka she was wearing was much more stylish than the version she had worn in the arctic and the light blue scarf wrapped around her neck was definitely not within the dress code, but it reminded him of those moments on the Nathan James when they would "accidentally" run into each other on deck (as though those run-ins hadn't taken extensive planning and coordination, mostly on Danny's part). Due to the frigid cold the deck was typically deserted and they could spend a few minutes alone with minimal chance of being overheard or interrupted. Danny used to look forward to those encounters all day, the way her eyes would light up and her cheeks would flush when she saw him, hoping that he could snatch a kiss. Right now Kara was actually looking rather green – the windy roads up to the lodge not agreeing with her stomach. Danny was hoping that they could make it to their room and give Kara some time to recover before the rest of his family arrived. As they approached the lodge, Kara had admitted that she was a little nervous to meet his parents and Danny was a little apprehensive that his mother - a doctor - would take one look at Kara's green face and immediately know that she was pregnant. Putting off the meeting until Kara was feeling better seemed like a good idea.

His parents and Chris had texted an hour ago to let him know that they had arrived at the Vermont border, putting their arrival in the next thirty minutes or so. Danny didn't know, and didn't ask, whether Caro was with them. His parents had offered to pick them up at the airport, but Danny had not wanted to be stuck at the lodge with no means of escape in case things went completely south. His parents would be fine, of course, and Chris was too young to care (at almost eighteen, Chris was probably more annoyed at having to spend the weekend with his family than Danny was). But Caro. Well, Caro was the wildcard, wasn't she.

Danny had just finished checking in when a familiar voice called his name from across the lobby.

"Danny!" It was Eddie Ward, one of his childhood friends, both of them part of a quartet of boys who had been inseparable in their youth. Although each boy had followed his own path after graduating from high school, they had continued to keep in touch and tried to meet up a couple of times a year. In fact, Danny knew that Eddie, Tom Young, and Waldron Howe had planned their own ski trip this weekend, an event that Danny had been forced to miss out on due to the conflict with his family vacation. A horrible thought occurred to him as Eddie crossed the lobby to give him a hug.

"I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you had plans with your family." Eddie said, slightly puzzled.

"I did," Danny responded, suspicion growing. "I mean, I do. We're staying here. I take it you are as well?"

"We are. Hell of a coincidence." Eddie's voice echoed Danny's thoughts. Neither man believed that this was a coincidence.

"Did Amber invite Rebecca?" Danny kept his voice toneless. Amber, Eddie's wife, and Rebecca had been college roommates and remained close friends.

Eddie glanced over his shoulder and then dropped his voice. "Rebecca's supposed to be coming tonight, bringing the guy she is seeing. A Dennis Milowsky. A scientist type."

" _Damn it."_ Danny swore. His sister had really gone too far this time.

Eddie blinked at him. "Honestly, they're a weird match. If you wanted to try to patch things up she might go for it."

"Not that," Danny replied with a roll of his eyes, exasperated. "Kara's here."

"Oooohhh." Eddie nodded in sudden comprehension. "You're introducing her to the family already? Must be a pretty special girl."

"Danny?" Kara's voice sounded behind them.

A smile spread across Danny's face as she walked towards them, still pale but looking markedly better than she had ten minutes ago. She had pulled off her parka to reveal a maroon sweater and dark jeans, her slim figure giving no hint of her condition. "Eddie, this is my girlfriend Kara. Kara, this crazy loon is my old friend Eddie."

"Who are you calling old?" Eddie retorted. "Recall that I am younger than you by an entire twenty-one days."

Kara laughed, before throwing Danny a hint of a challenging look. "Danny is kind of ancient. In fact, he said that all he wanted to do this weekend was hang out by the lodge fire. He said he wasn't going to hit the slopes at all."

_Ouch_. Perhaps he had been a  _little_ overbearing when it came to whether Kara should be skiing. Danny threw up his hands. "I give. If you want to go skiing, we'll go skiing."

Eddie had watched the exchange with interest. "He probably doesn't want you to know how badly he skies. Watching the big, bad Navy SEAL limping down the course getting paced by elementary school children  _is_  kind of embarrassing."

"Oh, the entire Nathan James knows how badly Danny skies," Kara replied. "Berchem showed us videos."

After the laughter faded, Eddie spoke. "You should come meet Tyler. They're in the nursery."

Danny paused, before asking Kara in what he hoped was not a completely obvious manner, "Are you up for meeting people?"

Kara nodded. "I just need a few moments for my stomach to settle."

Eddie gave her a sympathetic look. "Danny's driving puts a rollercoaster to shame."

As they headed towards the lounge on the other side of the lobby, Danny slid an arm around her waist, pulling her against his side and whispering into her hair. "I didn't know that they were here. I'll explain what happened later."

"Danny!" Amber's voice was laced with warm welcome and a tint of surprise. She rose from the floor where she had been sitting with a small boy, presumably Tyler. Danny had seen pictures of the infant just before leaving for the arctic but he was shocked to see that the baby was sitting up, one hand filled with a ring of keys and the other gripping a truck that he was apparently trying to shove in his mouth. Giving Amber a tight squeeze, he introduced Kara. He had missed the exuberant and vivacious woman who had, over the years of dating (and then marrying) one of his closest friends, become a friend in her own right. Despite her friendship with Rebecca, Danny had no doubt that Amber would welcome Kara warmly – unlike Caro.

"And here is Tyler." Danny was startled when Amber picked Tyler up from the floor and unceremoniously deposited the child in his arms. "Meet Uncle Danny."

Danny held the child awkwardly, uncertain of what to do with his hands, but Tyler had no such problem, curling up against Danny's shoulder with his thumb in his mouth, one hand still gripping the truck that he had been playing with. Looking down at the little boy, so innocent, so trusting, Danny could almost imagine that this was his baby, his son. His and Kara's. He lifted his head and their eyes met and held, and Danny could tell that she was envisioning the same thing. Their child.

"Holy sh…crap." Eddie's voice shattered the moment.

"Kids, Eddie," Amber snapped. Danny glanced at his friend and was startled by the gleam in Eddie's eyes. The other man couldn't have guessed what Danny was thinking. Danny frowned at him.

"Is everything okay?" Kara was the one to break the tension.

"Yeah, I uh, just remembered that I need to book lift tickets for tomorrow," Eddie replied, completely unconvincingly.

"We should go anyway," Danny spoke up. "My parents will be arriving soon and …"

"Speak of the devil," Amber interrupted. "Mark! Joanne! So good to see you."

"Amber? Eddie?" Danny sensed his mother's confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Turns out that we planned our ski trips for the same place," Danny explained. "I had no idea until I ran into Eddie. Tom and Waldron are on their way as well."

Danny gave his parents each a hug, feeling a pang of guilt when he saw his mother brushing away tears as they broke apart. He knew that his mother – both of his parents, really – hated him living so far away, being gone on assignments so often. Since the blow-up last year when he and Rebecca broke up, his visits to Connecticut had gone from occasional to non-existent. It occurred to him that this would probably to be the new norm once he and Kara were married and the baby was born. They were unlikely to make it to Connecticut more than once, possibly twice, a year to visit. Kara had two more years on her enlistment and would remain stationed at Norfolk, making that their home base even if Danny was transferred elsewhere. They had yet to discuss what would happen once Kara's current enlistment was up, whether she would re-up or leave the Navy. But no matter where they went after Norfolk, it would not be to Cornwall, Connecticut. Danny knew without having to be told that their first grandchild being so far away would be a blow to his parents.

"And you must be Kara." Joanne Green's voice was warm as she took Kara's hands and gave her a once over. "It is  _so_  wonderful to finally meet you. This is my husband Mark and my younger son Chris."

"Can you really shoot a gun?" Chris asked, the question directed at Kara.

She smiled at the teenager. "I can. In fact, I've beat your brother in a shooting match before."

Chris looked back and forth between the two of them before asking, in a voice that was entirely too knowledgeable, "Did you let her win, Danny?"

Danny winked at his brother and gave him a slap on the back. When had Chris become so grown up? "Sometimes you have to lose in order to win."

"And sometimes even Navy SEALs lose their focus," Kara commented drolly.

"It is hard to shoot straight with Frankie kicking you in the leg," Danny explained in a mock serious manner.

"And that was the  _only_  distraction?" Eddie muttered into Danny's ear. Danny shook his head at his friend.

"Will you join us for dinner tonight?"

Danny realized that his mother was in the process of inviting Amber and Eddie – as well as Tom and Waldron – to dinner. Amber glanced at Danny, obviously uncomfortable but not knowing how to politely decline the invitation.

"Probably not a good idea, Mom." When Joanne started to protest, Danny cut her off. "It would probably be uncomfortable for Rebecca."

A painful silence fell for a moment. Danny kept his attention on Kara, trying to figure out how she had taken the news but she was wearing her game face. The one she used in CIC – never happy and never upset – a woman just doing her job. He couldn't read her at all.

"Perhaps Danny and I could meet you, Tom and Waldron for skiing tomorrow morning, Eddie." Mark was the one that broke the silence. The plan was quickly agreed to and after a few more minutes of chit-chat, everyone split to settle into their rooms. But instead of heading towards the elevators, Danny directed Kara out a side door to the lodge.

"I'm sorry about all of this," Danny said, leading her onto a path through the treeline where they could talk without being overheard. "The guys didn't know that my family was coming to this lodge. Since we weren't going to meet the guys, Amber invited Rebecca and her boyfriend. I suspect, although I don't have any proof, that Caro was probably involved. I'll talk to her. I hope it's not too uncomfortable for you."

"She's just an ex-girlfriend, Danny," Kara replied, giving him a teasing glance. "You know that you aren't my first boyfriend either, right?"

Danny swung her to face him, drawing her into his arms. Leaning down to kiss her, he paused when their faces were an inch apart. "Maybe not the first, but I intend to be the last."

"Do you now?" Kara replied, her hand reaching cup to pull his head down for a lingering kiss.

"I do," Danny whispered against her lips. "In fact, I am hoping to be more than your boyfriend. I am hoping that maybe I can be your husband."

Kara froze, pulling back an inch to look him directly in the eyes. She seemed stunned. Finally, hesitantly, she asked, "Because of the baby?"

"Nope. Because I want to spend my life with you. Because I love you." As the silence stretched, Danny began to panic, wondering if she really was going to say no. "So what do you think?"

"I think you haven't actually asked me a question," Kara replied finally, the edges of her mouth tilting up into a playful smile.

Danny bit his lower lip as he realized that Kara was right. Digging the ring box out of his pocket –  _thank goodness he hadn't put it in the lodge safe when he checked in_ \- he brought the box between them, noticing that his hand wasn't completely steady as he opened it. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Will you marry me?"

Kara glanced down at the ring that had caused so much anguish and when she looked up, her eyes were filled with tears. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for another kiss.

It was several minutes later before Danny spoke again. "Should I assume that means yes?"

Kara's smile was radiant. "Yes. Absolutely yes."


	3. Where Kara meets Rebecca

Kara felt her stomach dip as she and Danny descended the stairs on their way to join his family for dinner. She glanced down to make sure that she hadn't imagined the last couple of hours but, no, there on her left hand was an engagement ring. A beautiful emerald cut tanzanite encircled by diamond chips – a ring so lovely and a stone so large that Kara had been forced to bite her lip to stop herself from asking Danny how much it cost. The second she had seen him pull a ring box out of his pocket she had realized that this afternoon had not been spontaneous. Danny had planned it. And Kara hadn't had a clue.

If she was being completely honest, she would have preferred that Danny pick a different time to propose. Not because of the proposal itself. Standing in the snow with him had reminded her of those days in the arctic, the spark of excitement that coursed through her veins every time she would run into him, their eyes meeting and quickly parting so as not to reveal their secret to those around them. And Danny had been so adorably nervous, as though he truly thought that there was a possibility of her saying no.  _As if she wasn't completely, utterly and madly in love with him._  He had known exactly what to say to relieve her fear that this was all because of the baby, that he felt obligated to propose because she was pregnant. It had been perfect – the perfect man, the perfect setting, the perfect words – a memory that Kara would cherish for the rest of her life.

What wasn't perfect was the timing.

Because here they were, on their way to dinner with Danny's family, less than two hours after Danny gave her the ring. And Kara was a ball of nerves. She had been off-kilter from the moment that Danny slid the ring on her finger (which, in itself, was a strange feeling for a woman who, due to Navy regulations, almost never wore jewelry), and would have preferred a little time to mentally adjust before the news became public. Although the Greens had been lovely this afternoon when they first met, there was a difference between meeting their son's new girlfriend and learning that she was going to be their daughter-in-law. If Kara had any say in the evening's activities, they would have spent the night in their room, celebrating in an entirely different manner.

"It'll be fine," Danny whispered, as though he could read her thoughts. He reached down to clasp her hand, to rub his thumb over her ring, the corner of his mouth curling up as though he, too, was still adjusting to the fact that it was actually there. "My parents love you already. I can tell."

Kara was bemused by Danny's absolute certainty that his parents would react with delight upon learning that their oldest son had just become engaged to a woman who, to the best of their knowledge, he had been dating for less than three months. And yet, she didn't doubt that he was correct. She found his family dynamic fascinating, so very different than her own. From what she had gleamed, the Greens were the perfect parents – supportive but not coddling, involved but not clingy, firm but not punitive – and Danny had clearly thrived in that atmosphere. From what Kara could tell, the only issue in the Green household was the ongoing battle of wills between Danny and his sister Caroline. And Danny was about to pour gasoline on that fire.

"Are you going to tell them about, well, you know?" Kara asked tentatively.

"We agreed to wait and we will. You and me, remember?" Danny replied firmly, giving her hand another squeeze. Kara let out the breath that she had been holding. She wasn't ready to share the news yet. She knew that Danny had told his team about the baby but, besides Alisha, Kara hasn't told anyone, even her own mother. Although Debbie Foster adored Danny, Kara suspected that Debbie, who had struggled emotionally and financially to raise Kara by herself, would have reservations upon learning that her only daughter was about to become a single mother. Kara wondered if seeing the ring on her finger would reassure her mother. It was hard to know. Her relationship with Debbie was complicated, Kara playing the adult more often than not, and Debbie's reactions were not always predictable, or rational. As for telling anyone else, Kara knew how quickly gossip spread among a small crew. Once her pregnancy became public knowledge, someone would be sure to tell Captain Chandler. And Kara wanted to wait as long as possible before having  _that_  conversation.

As they entered the Lodge hotel, Kara could see Joanne and Mark sitting at a table by a roaring fire, Christopher next to them. There were two other people at the table, their backs to Kara and Danny. Kara assumed that the woman was Caroline Green and was slightly surprised to see that Caroline had brought a guest. Danny hadn't mentioned that Caroline was bringing a date, but he and his sister were not on the best terms at the moment.

"There you are," Joanne's warm voice reached them. "The waiter just brought champagne. He said you ordered it for the table. Are we celebrating?"

"We are," Danny smiled broadly. "Kara just agreed to marry me."

A moment of stunned silence following the announcement and then Joanne began to cry. She jumped up from her seat. "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. Let me give you both a hug."

Mark followed his wife, slapping Danny on the back and giving Kara a hug. Christopher attempted to emulate his parents' example, his awkwardness evident, and Kara felt some sympathy for the boy. Being a teenager sucked.

Caroline rolled her eyes, staying seated. "Next you'll tell us that she's knocked up too."

"Caroline Amelia Green. That is quite enough of your attitude." Joanne spoke sharply. Caroline twirled her hand in the air as she gave a small bow in Danny's direction, apparently her version of an apology.

"Let's pour the champagne, shall we?" Mark said as he popped the cork.

"Can I have some?" Christopher asked, suddenly interested in the proceedings.

"Not if you want to go skiing tonight," Mark replied as he poured and passed out the flutes, starting with Danny and Kara. Raising his glass, Mark toasted. "To Danny and Kara. May today be the day that you love each other the least."

"God that is lame," Caroline muttered.

Ignoring the commentary, Kara smiled at Danny. He had been right about his parents' reaction. Relaxing, she turned back towards the table and met Caroline's suspicious eyes. Kara had intended to take only a sip of her champagne but holding Caroline's gaze, she deliberately drained half of the glass. She could feel the surprise and displeasure emanating from Danny but she ignored it. The champagne rolled down her throat smoothly and she glanced over to see the label of a rather expensive brand. Kara made a note to talk to Danny sometime in the next few weeks about finances. She knew that, as a SEAL, he made decent money but things like engagement rings, weekend trips, and top shelf champagne did not come cheap.

"Since nobody has offered to introduce me to the future Mrs. Daniel J. Green, I'll do so myself. I'm Tom Bakewell." The man who had been sitting beside Caroline leaned across the table to shake Kara's hand. Not wanting to appear rude, Kara took his hand, masking the repulsion she felt as their hands touched. Something about him was just … off. Glancing at Danny, he didn't seem to have noticed the vibe. He was smiling at the other man.

"Why are you here anyway Tom? You should be skiing with Eddie and Waldron."

"And miss the champagne? Do you know me at all?" Although Tom was speaking to Danny, his eyes remained fixed on Kara, the corner of his mouth lifting as though to mock her.  _This was Danny's friend Tom?_  Eddie had seemed normal, his wife Amber lovely. This man? Kara hoped that she never had to see him again. "So tell us all about Kara, Danny-boy."

"How much can he possibly know after three months?" Caroline replied sardonically.

"At least I didn't bring a pity-date this weekend," Danny shot back.

"There will be no snipping at dinner." Although Mark hadn't raised his voice, his tone booked no argument.

Kara was amused when Danny dropped his view to his menu, clearing his throat awkwardly, reacting much the way he would have handled a dressing down from a senior officer. "Sorry."

Thankfully the waiter came by to take their orders, covering the silence. Once he had left, Kara noticed that Danny had, apparently without detection, swapped their champagne flutes so that the glass before her was now empty. It was a move that he had practiced often during the last month.

"Where do your parents live, Kara?" Joanne asked once they were alone again. "We'll want to meet them, of course."

"It's just my mother," Kara replied, feeling Danny's hand move to rest on her knee. "My father passed away before I was born. I grew up in Kansas but my mother moved to Norfolk recently."

"The great magical world of Oz, now located in Norfolk, Virginia," Caroline quipped. Despite herself, Kara felt the urge to laugh.

"She's fortunate to have you so close," Joanne responded, ignoring Caroline. "Perhaps Mark and I will plan a trip to Norfolk this spring. We haven't been there before. Danny moves around so much, you know, three different bases in six years, not counting deployments."

"Or we could have a spring wedding," Danny suggested.

Kara looked at him, startled. A spring wedding made sense, of course, if the goal was to be married before the baby arrived. And once they were married the likelihood of Danny being transferred went down, which would be nice. But she was still getting used to the idea of being engaged. She hadn't yet made the jump to thinking about an actual wedding. "I…."

"No reason to rush is there, Danny-boy," Tom commented, both his voice and his nickname for Danny getting under Kara's skin. "Doesn't every woman dream about her wedding day? The dress, the music, the flowers. These things take time to plan."

"What are you, a wedding planner?" Caroline's voice was scathing and this time Kara did giggle. Caroline was much more amusing when her vitriol was directed at someone else.

Danny bit his lower lip, a sure sign that he was trying not to smile. "I imagine that Alisha – that's Kara's best friend – will have a lot of ideas. That woman has  _definitely_  been planning her wedding for years. Hell, she would make an excellent wedding planner." Turning towards Kara he asked, "What did she say when you told her, anyway? I saw you texting."

"You're counting on her and Frankie to plan the entire thing, aren't you?" Kara teased him. "She said that you aren't a bad catch. For a man."

Which was true. What Kara didn't add was that Alisha had done a fair amount of gloating over the fact that she accurately called the proposal.

"June is the perfect time for a wedding," Joanne said. "It means that you will be a bride for life."

June was definitely out – Kara had no intention of waddling down the aisle – but before she could respond Caroline beat her to the punch. "Now you're quoting Seven Brides for Seven Brothers? Seriously. You people need to get out more."

"Ah, look who just arrived," Tom interrupted, his hand lifting to wave to someone at the door. Turning, Kara saw a tall, willowy blond step into the room, escorted by an older gentleman, his dark hair streaked with silver. Beside her she felt Danny stiffen and a quick glance around the table revealed that everyone – even Caroline – was looking uncomfortable as Tom continued to wave to the couple. Kara's heart sank, little doubt in her mind about who the new arrival was.

"What are you doing?" Caroline hissed at Tom, surprising Kara.  _Hadn't Caroline set this up so Danny and Rebecca would run into each other?_

Danny and Mark both stood as the couple approached the table (Rebecca whispering something to her escort), Christopher following their lead with some prompting. Kara had always admired Danny's impeccable manners, something that apparently had been drummed into him by his father. She hoped that it was something that Danny would teach their son, assuming this baby was a boy.

"Rebecca," Danny nodded, his voice reserved, the tone he used when he was upset and didn't want it to show.

"Danny." Rebecca's voice was equally aloof, her expression brittle. "Joanne, Mark, Chris. Lovely to see you. This is my friend Dennis. Dennis Milowsky."

The man reached out to shake hands, his expression unperturbed, as though he was oblivious to the undercurrents at the table. "Nice to meet you Green. I understand that you recently escorted a friend on mine to the arctic. Doctor Rachel Scott."

"I did. What an unlikely coincidence," Danny replied, his amused gaze catching Kara's. She knew immediately what he was thinking. Doctor Scott had been … challenging … during the time in the arctic. All she wanted to do was work – spending long days on the ice, eating alone in her lab, not responding even to Frankie's welcoming overtures. After a few days of the cold shoulder the guys had begun calling her the Ice Queen, a nickname that had quickly spread and stuck among the rest of the crew. Danny had been quite certain that Doctor Scott didn't know his name, only that he was "one of the SEALs." Apparently the woman had not been as oblivious as he had thought. "I don't believe that you've met Kara. My fiancé."

Despite the fact that she wasn't responsible for this horrible situation, Kara felt herself wince as a look of shock and something more, hurt perhaps, crossed Rebecca's face. Danny wasn't always the most sensitive guy but that had been a pretty direct hit. Kara nodded towards the other woman, not wanting to offer her hand and be rejected.

"Your last name wouldn't be Foster, by any chance?" Dennis asked.

After a momentary pause, Kara replied. "Yes, Kara Foster."

"Rachel will be thrilled to learn that you're engaged. She said that they two of you made a delightful couple."

Kara hoped that she wasn't turning beet red. Doctor Scott  _had_  caught them in a rather compromising position one evening – she and Danny had been taking inventory of the armory when his hands had started wandering – but the doctor hadn't seemed to notice anything amiss. Instead, she had immediately started in on Danny, demanding to know why she wasn't being allowed out on the ice, despite Danny's repeated explanations that the Captain had suspended all land activity due to the falling temperatures. Apparently Doctor Scott was not as oblivious as she had led them to believe.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Isn't dating on a ship against all kind of Navy rules?" Tom demanded, sounding truly shocked. Caroline was also staring at them, her eyes wide. In fact, Danny's entire family appeared stunned.

Thankfully Danny had kept his composure, shaking his head at Tom ruefully. "Of course there's no dating on the ship. Kara's a tactical action officer in the combat information center on the Nathan James. Since I had to coordinate all of our operations through CIC we spent a lot of time working closely together. Got to know each other."

Well, it wasn't a complete lie. And it must have sounded plausible to his family because Caroline, perhaps trying to redeem herself for creating the situation, changed the topic. "The guys are going skiing in the morning, Dennis, if you'd like to join them. Amber, Holly and I are going into town to check out the local shops, Rebecca. You should come too."

"Holly?" Joanne asked.

"Waldron's flavor of the week," Tom replied, downing the remainder of his champagne.

"I'll text you," Rebecca replied. "Our table is ready so we should be going."

The second that the couple was out of earshot, Danny turned to Caroline.  _"What the hell were you thinking?"_

"Me! I didn't wave them over here." Caroline glared at the man sitting besides her.

"I thought you  _wanted_  them to bump into each other," Tom replied. "Sorry."

Despite Tom's words, he didn't look apologetic to Kara, instead she sensed an undertone of amusement. Looking between Tom and Caroline, Kara was unsure which one was really the instigator here.

"But you  _did_  set this up, making sure that we were all at the same lodge?" Danny pressed.

"Okay, I thought that if you and Rebecca were in the same place that you might be able to work things out," Caroline admitted. "I didn't expect for you to show up  _engaged_  for god's sake. You and Kara have only known each other a couple months. I figured it was a rebound thing."

Joanne opened her mouth to speak and Danny held up his hand to stop her. "When are you going to stop interfering? Rebecca and I are  _done_. Hell, she has a new boyfriend."

"Milowsky? He's a wet noodle." Caroline brushed the comment aside. "But, for the record, I didn't know he was coming."

"I suggested she bring him, actually," Tom put in. Ever head at the table swung in his direction. "I thought you wanted to make Danny jealous."

"Oh my god." Danny looked ready to throw one, or both of them, out a window.

"This is a family matter," Mark said. "Tom, please leave. Now."

For a minute Kara thought the man would refuse, but then he rose and sauntered casually from the room. Mark turned to Caroline. "Tom's manipulating you and causing problems, just like he always does. I don't want to see him in your company again this weekend."

"Tom's not the problem.  _She_  is," Danny snapped, pointing to Caroline.

"I know that Tom has been your friend for a long time darling, but there is something wrong with that man," Joanne said, looking at Danny. Kara was relieved to know that she wasn't the only one who sensed something off about Tom. "He's changed. He was such a smart boy. Now all he does is sit around his apartment and play video games and spend time in chat rooms. He needs to get a job."

"Tom has a job at the hardware store." Caroline replied.

"A real job. One that challenges him. He's wasting his talents." Joanne clarified.

"Don't be such a snob," Caroline replied with a roll of her eyes. "How is working at a hardware store any different then Danny running around with a gun playing superhero?"

"Well, for one, I get paid more," Danny retorted, although he seemed more amused than upset by Caroline's comment.

Just then they were interrupted by the arrival of their food. As the waiter set down the plates, Kara wondered how they were going to make it through the rest of dinner.

As thought sensing her thoughts, Joanne made a face. "You have to excuse us tonight, Kara. My children normally mind their manners. Tonight seems to be special in more ways than one. This might be the most awkward meet the family dinner ever."

Kara felt Danny's fingers interweave with hers under the table, noticed the concerned glances that he was throwing in her direction. Squeezing his hand to reassure him, Kara smiled at Joanne. "If you are going for worst meet the parent dinner ever, you have a ways to go. Sometime – in many, many, many years – we'll have to tell you about the night that my mother met Danny."


	4. Where Danny Gets Jealous

Danny leaned down to kiss the top of Kara's head, the only part of her visible under the bundle of blankets. "I'll be back by lunch. Do you need anything before I go?"

The only response was a slight groan as Kara pulled the blankets over her head. Danny grinned. He had already cracked a can of gingerale and put it next to the bed with a package of saltines, knowing that he was unlikely to get an intelligible answer from Kara this early in the morning. They had been practically living together for the past three months, and while they generally bumped along pretty well, it had quickly become apparent that Kara was not a morning person. Unlike Danny, who rarely slept past seven even when he was up all night, Kara could stay curled up in bed until ten. And being pregnant seemed to have pushed that deadline closer to noon. Danny sometimes wondered how Kara managed to function on the Nathan James when she had an early shift. Lots of coffee, he assumed, something that she had given up since learning that she was pregnant.

Slinging his skis over his shoulder, Danny headed downstairs to join the guys. Chances were that he would be back before Kara was even out of bed. As Danny approached the lobby he was surprised, and somewhat annoyed, to see Caro standing next to their father chatting.

"I thought you were going shopping with the girls?" Danny said as neutrally as possible. It was way too early in the morning for a fight with his sister.

Caro rolled her eyes. "Not until eleven. Can you believe it? They're going to sleep through the best part of the day."

"You'd be sleeping too if you were up all night with a teething baby," Eddie countered. He was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed, Waldron Howe standing next to him. "The only reason I'm awake right now is that Tyler wouldn't stop kicking me in the head."

"Okay, Amber gets some slack. And it's not like I want to hang out with Waldron's flavor of the week anyway," Caro grumbled.

"How old is this one?" Danny asked, directing the question towards Caro even though Waldron was standing only feet away. They all ragged on Waldron about his revolving door of girlfriends. Since getting a position as an adjunct professor, Waldron had been spending the majority of his time with college students and the age of his "dates" had decreased accordingly.

"For the record, I do have standards," Howe protested goodnaturedly. "She's twentytwo. Her name is Holly. And she's not in any of my classes."

"But most importantly, she's gorgeous," Caro snapped.

"Of course." Howe gave Caro a wolfish grin. "But I'd drop her in a second if you said the word, Caro."

"In your dreams, manslut. Sleeping with you would be like sleeping with half the U.S. population. And do not call me that."

Waldron grinned unrepentantly. "Speaking of hotties, when are we going to meet the new arm candy Danny?"

Danny blinked at him. Kara? She's sleeping."

"Sleeping or puking?" Caro asked tartly.

"Wait, was there a party that I wasn't invited to?" Waldron demanded. "I wondered where everyone was last night."

"Kara is _sleeping_ ," Danny said firmly. "She's not a morning person." "Are we going skiing or not?" Chris asked, interrupting the banter.

"I, for one, am skiing," Danny replied. Slinging his arm around his brother's shoulders, the two started out the door. "And I want an update on your college applications too."

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Three hours later Danny opened the door to their room to find Kara curled up before the fire, blanket draped around her shoulders, her loose hair framing her face as she looked down at her phone. Glancing up, she set her phone to the side and began to untangle herself from the blanket.

"How was skiing?"

"Cold," Danny replied, grinning at her as he swung the door shut and dumped his equipment and parka. "Any ideas on how I could warm up?"

Kara arched an eyebrow at him, her head tipped to the side as though she were considering her options, before sauntering towards him, a sultry smile on her lips. Stopping in front of him, Kara trailed her fingers down his chest until she reached the bottom of his sweater, hands slipping underneath to trace the waistband of his pants before pulling the shirt over his head. "I have a couple of ideas. We have to lose this first, though."

Danny wrapped his arms around her waist, hands slipping under her tshirt as he feathered kisses along her throat. "I can think of a few things you won't need in a minute."

Chuckling, Kara wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands tangling in his hair as she pulled him in for a lingering kiss, leaning into him until there was no space between their bodies. Without breaking the kiss, Danny tumbling them down on the bed, rolling so she ended up on top of him. Smiling against his lips, Kara's hands dropped to his belt buckle.

Only to be stopped by the sound of a knock on the door, followed by a woman's voice. "Danny?" Kara quickly rolled to the side, sitting up. "Is that your sister?"

"Yes." Danny groaned.

_Damn it._

"Now is not a good time, Caroline," he called, hoping against hope that she would go away.

"If you're having sex or something I can go hang out with Mom until you're finished." There was a short pause and Danny thought she might actually be leaving. "How long do you think you will be?"

A look of shock passed over Kara's face before she started giggling. Between peals of laughter she looked at Danny. "Is she serious?"

"Unfortunately yes." Danny rolled off the bed and made his way to the door, not bothering to pull his sweater back on. He yanked it open. "What the hell do you want?"

"I want to talk to you," Caro said seriously.

"So talk." Danny crossed his arms over his chest. Caro's games were getting very old very quickly.

"Alone." Caro looked at him, tipping her head towards the hallway.

But Danny was done trying to smooth things over with Caroline. "Look, say what you want to say. If it isn't something that you can say in front of Kara then I don't want to hear it."

Caro narrowed her eyes at him but Danny didn't budge. He had reached his limit with Caro's interference and outrageous behavior.

"Fine," Caro snapped, prancing past him into the room. Grabbing his sweater, Danny pulled it on as he watched Caro settle into the chair that Kara had vacated only minutes earlier. He was surprised when Caro turned towards Kara, who was sitting curled up against the headboard of the bed. "I wanted to apologize for last night. I didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable."

"What the hell where you thinking inviting Rebecca here?" Danny demanded. " _Of course_ that was going to make people uncomfortable."

"I just wanted the two of you to talk. Not necessarily get back together, but at least to resolve things. She's my _best friend_. You're my _brother_. I want the two of you to be able to sit in the same room without fighting. I want to be able to plan a party and invite both of you. I don't want to have to pick one of you or the other. And I think that Eddie and Tom and Waldron want the same thing. It sucks when two people you care about can't get along."

Danny ground his teeth, fighting the urge to strangle his sister. "Rebecca and I have resolved things. We've both moved on. We're fine. If there was anyone causing a problem last night it was you. Or maybe Tom – I still don't know why he's involved in this."

"Really?" Caro scoffed. "You have no problem hanging out with Rebecca and her new boyfriend?"

"Not at all," Danny replied with a shrug. "Rebecca and I broke up a year ago. We've both moved on. Besides, jealousy is a useless emotion."

Caro narrowed her eyes. "Then prove it. Tonight after dinner we all get drinks. You, me, Kara and the whole crowd – Rebecca, Dennis, Eddie, Amber, Tom, Waldron and his flavoroftheweek."

Danny hesitated. If he said no, Caro would throw it in his face. But the runin with Rebecca last night had definitely been awkward and he didn't want to force Kara back into that situation again. Plus, he didn't entirely trust Caro. She sounded sincere but given her recent antics…

"We can do that."

Danny's eyes shot to Kara. Had she really just agreed to his sister's insane suggestion? "What?"

"Wonderful!" Ignoring Danny's question completely, Caro jumped up from the chair. "We're meeting at the bar at ten so people can ski tonight if they want."

Skirting around Danny, Caro slid out the door, popping her head back to add one last thing. "Oh, and Amber said no jeans so hope you brought a suit."

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Just before they reached the lodge bar, Danny stopped, pulling Kara to a halt before him.

"Are you _sure_ you want to do this?" He asked, his fingers threading through her loose hair. Even though they had been on shore for months now, he still found the sight tantalizing. She looked so different, so much younger and more vulnerable, than she had on the Nathan James in her uniform with her hair pulled back severely.

"I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of your friends, Danny," Kara replied, hands against his chest as she leaned into him. "Well, not Tom. He was rather unpleasant actually. But Eddie and Amber were lovely. What did you say Waldron's girlfriend's name was again?"

"Don't bother remembering. It will be a different girl next week anyway." Danny snorted. He shifted closer to Kara, hands stroking her back. "Have I mentioned how much I like this dress?"

"You might have," Kara teased, smiling up at him as she tweaked the collar of his shirt. "You don't look so bad yourself. I kind of like the corporate look."

Danny leaned down to give her a thorough kiss. "You know, we could.."

"Get a room already!" Eddie's cheerful voice shattered the moment. As Danny reluctantly raised his head, he saw Eddie and Amber approaching them, Waldron and Holly only a few steps behind.

"I need to see the ring!" Amber squealed.

Kara reached up to kiss Danny's cheek before she turned to Amber, holding out her hand. Danny smiled at the fuss Amber was making, wrapping his arms around Kara's waist, pulling her back against him. His eyes met Eddie's over the two women.

"Glad you decided to come tonight," Eddie said sincerely. Danny nodded, weighing the comment. Maybe Caro did have a point. Maybe his breakup with Rebecca had impacted his friends more than he realized. Maybe he had refused to see the awkward position that he put them in because it made him feel guilty. Guilty for breaking up not just a relationship, but also a circle of friends that had been together since high school.

"Although I am generally opposed to the institution of marriage, I have to admit that the two of you are cute together," Waldron said, clapping his hand on Danny's back. "Congratulations man."

Amber turned to Waldron with a grin. "Just you wait. One of these days you are going to meet someone and fall head over heels and completely forget all of your ideas about marriage."

Waldron gave a snort as he headed towards the bar. "What is everyone drinking? Scotch?"

"A Shirley Temple for me." Amber replied. At the stunned silence around her, she waved her hands over her chest. "Breastfeeding? Remember?"

"I'll have the same thing," Kara chimed in, slipping onto the bar stool next to Amber. "I've never had one. What's in it anyway?"

Glad that they had moved past the awkward "why aren't you drinking" part of the evening so easily, Danny turned to the bartender. "What do you have on draft?"

"You're sticking with beer?" Tom's voice was appalled. Danny shot a look at the man who had just arrived, Caro on his arm. Scowling, Danny made a mental note to ask Caro what was going on with her and Tom. Although he and Tom had been friends for years, the man seemed … different this visit. And not in a good way. Danny wanted Caro as far away from Tom as possible, a sentiment clearly shared by his parents. Before Danny could respond, Waldron collared Tom and dragged him off for a shot. From the corner of his eye, Danny noticed Rebecca and Dennis joining the group, stopping to talk to Caro. The conversation flowed naturally for a while as everyone gathered their drinks and headed towards the fireplace.

"Has anyone been following that crazy flu that is going around?" Holly asked. As far as Danny could tell it was her first attempt to participate in the conversation. He felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl. Even Amber had made little attempt to draw her into the conversation, knowing that she (like all of Waldron's women) wouldn't be around long.

"It's a serious concern in Asia," Waldron replied. "The school is recommending that students don't travel to the affected regions."

Amber shook her head. "It's so sad. There are stories of entire families dying. I can't imagine." Eddie wrapped his arm around his wife. "I'm sure that people are working on a cure right now."

"The CDC has developed a vaccine actually," Rebecca said. Her eyes flickered over to Danny. "Danny and Kara probably already received their shot. The military got the first doses."

"Doesn't the testing process take longer than that?" Caro asked.

Dennis responded. "Not always. The FDA can work quickly when the risk is great."

Danny shrugged. "I got mine last week. We're always getting some shot or other. I hardly ask anymore."

Rebecca turned to Kara. "What about you, Kara?"

Kara looked at Danny, her confusion clear. Why did Rebecca care? "No, but I've been on administrative assignment since we returned from the arctic. So no risk of exposure."

"It's probably counter indicative for pregnancy," Caro whispered, leaning over Danny's shoulder.

"Will you give it up!" Danny snapped back.

"I saw you switch the champagne flutes, Danny," Caro hissed. "I taught you that trick, remember?" Danny shot her a pointed look. At least nobody else had heard her. "We'll talk about this later."

"Everyone should get their vaccination as soon as possible." Dennis was speaking, his tone serious. "Amber's concern is valid. This flu is awful and it is bound to spread even with the quarantines."

"How do you know so much about the vaccine?" Holly asked.

"Dennis here works for the CDC," Rebecca responded. With a smile she clutched Dennis's arm. "Actually that's how we met. Children's Hospital, where I work, now has a CDC certified laboratory."

Danny added his congratulations to the group. Obtaining certification had been one of Rebecca's goals since she started at the hospital. Successfully completing the process was a huge boon. Watching Rebecca and Dennis, noticing how Rebecca smiled at the older man, Danny had to disagree with Caro's assessment of their relationship. The two of them actually seemed very wellsuited, both in their careers and temperament. But more than that, Rebecca seemed to care about Dennis. And rather than feeling jealous, Danny felt happy. Happy that Rebecca had found someone else. Happy that both of them were moving on with their lives. Happy that all of them including Rebecca could be here together tonight.

Just then Danny's attention was caught by Kara and Waldron, who were standing by the fire chatting, Holly nowhere in sight. Waldron was giving Kara his best seductive smile as he leaned down towards her. "I'd love to sketch you sometime."

Danny felt his jaw drop. He had heard Waldron use that line a thousand times over the years on different women. "Are you seriously flirting with my wife?"

There was a moment of silence as all heads turned towards Danny. It took him a moment to realize what he had said, and then he winced. It wasn't so much that he had used the wrong word. It was that the wrong word had slipped so easily off his tongue. As though they were already married.

"Did you sneak off to the courthouse without telling us?" Caro demanded.

Kara laughed, her eyes twinkling as she planted herself on Danny's lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I promised Alisha that she could plan a wedding. That means you have to wait until at least February."

"I can handle February," Danny replied, smiling devilishly, his eyes glued on Kara.

"Good." Kara bit down on her lower lip, her thumb brushing his chin. "You know that Waldron was just telling me his best pickup lines and not actually trying to pick me up, right?"

"Was he?" Danny asked dubiously. He had seen Waldron in action before. The man could, and often did, charm the pants right off a woman.

Kara grinned. Then she leaned forward, her hot breath against his ear. "You know, you're pretty cute when you're jealous."


	5. Where Kara Talks to Captain Chandler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: nothing in this chapter should be taken as an accurate portrayal of Navy or CDC protocol regarding the use of vaccines. I just wanted one of my favorite characters to make an appearance.

Kara knocked on the open door to Captain Chandler's office. She had just finished talking to Commander Barker and, although protocol didn't dictate that she speak to the Captain directly, she had wanted to inform him of her pregnancy personally. Kara had served under Thomas Chandler for four years and not only did she respect him professionally, but she also genuinely liked him. Kara often got the sense that Captain Chandler saw the crew as his students, his interest in them extending beyond their official Naval roles to their personal lives. He served as not only their captain, but also as their teacher, their mentor, and their role model. In Captain Chandler, Kara had seen the kind of officer that she hoped to one day become.

"Lieutenant, please come in. Sit." Captain Chandler didn't seem surprised to see her and Kara wondered if Barker had already advised him of her condition. Of course, Kara wasn't sure that she had ever seen Captain Chandler surprised. Even the day that Miller accidentally dropped a fifty pound box of equipment on the Captain's foot, his only response had been to lift an eyebrow and calmly ask Miller to move the crate immediately.

"Thank you, sir." Kara sat in one of the chairs before the Commander's desk. She found it strange to see him in an office rather than on the bridge of the ship. "I wanted to advise you of some changes in my personal life."

Captain Chandler smiled, his gaze dipping to the ring she was now wearing on her left hand. "It appears that congratulations are in order. Although not strictly necessary given that he was no longer associated with the Nathan James, Lieutenant Green advised me of his intentions. He seemed rather nervous, actually. I'm glad to see that he received the answer that he was hoping for."

"Thank you, sir." Kara took a deep breath. "I also wanted to let you know that I am pregnant."

Well, that got a bit of a reaction. The Captain leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows rising. "Now that was news that I was not expecting. Apparently more congratulations are in order!"

Kara chuckled. "I already spoke with Commander Barker regarding a new duty assignment but I wanted to tell you about the baby myself. My time serving on the Nathan James has been challenging, but satisfying in a way that I never imagined when I enlisted, and I owe much of that experience to you. Over the past few years the crew of the Nathan James has become more than just the people that I work with. You have all become my friends and I hope to work with you again in the future."

For a minute the Captain slipped out of professional mode. "I have enjoyed working with you as well, Kara. Someday soon you will make an excellent TAO – and you will always have a place on my ship."

"Thank you, sir," Kara whispered, feeling the prick of tears in the back of her eyes. _Damn pregnancy hormones._

"When are you due?" Captain Chandler asked, reverting to Captain mode.

"June 9th," Kara admitted. She thought she saw a flash of amusement cross the Captain's face as he leaned back in his chair. He wasn't the only one. Nishioka had almost fallen out of his chair laughing when he realized that Danny and Kara were having a homecoming baby.

"June is an excellent month to have a baby. My daughter Ashley was born in June, actually, after my tour of Iraq." Kara's mouth almost dropped open. Had Captain Chandler just said what she thought he was saying? That Ashley was a homecoming baby? "Sam, on the other hand, was a January baby. Which meant that he had to actually wear clothes."

Kara laughed. "I guess Danny and I got lucky with June then. I should be going, sir."

"I will see you at 1100 in the Midway gymnasium," Captain Chandler responded. When Kara paused, confused, he frowned. "For vaccinations? Doctor Scott specifically asked for you to be in attendance. I didn't realize that the two of you stayed in contact after our return from the arctic."

"Doctor Scott? I haven't spoken with her since we made port," Kara replied. Abruptly she realized what had happened. "Danny and I ran into a colleague of Doctor Scott's recently. I asked him to pass along our regards."

"Well, according to the message that I received, Doctor Scott will be arriving on base in approximately an hour to personalize immunize the Nathan James crew and wanted to make sure that you would be in attendance. I imagine that she wants to offer her felicitations."

Kara nodded. "Of course, sir, I will see you at 1100."

The moment she was out of eyesight, Kara pulled out her phone to text Alisha and see if the other woman had any idea what was going on.

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By 1055, all of the crew members of the Nathan James who were currently in Norfolk had gathered in the small gymnasium that typically was used for women's basketball matches. Kara sat with Nishioka and Alicia on the bleachers as they waited for Captain Chandler to join them. Slattery was already in attendance, standing by the entrance with the Master Chief, scowling. Everyone was baffled by the gathering. From what Captain Chandler had said earlier, Kara knew that they were here to get a shot for the flu that had been terrorizing parts of Asia, but having Doctor Scott come by to administer the vaccine? It seemed like a lot of rigmarole for something that the based doctors could have done in a few minutes. In fact, Rios had already set up a table in the middle of the floor and Kara could see the shots, rubber gloves, bandaids and hazmat containers all ready to go. If they hadn't been waiting on Doctor Scott, the whole process would have been finished by now.

"Why do you think she's _really_ here?" Alicia asked.

"She probably has the hots for Captain Chandler," Nishioka replied with a laugh. Kara rolled her eyes. As if straitlaced Captain Chandler would ever look at a woman other than his wife.

"More likely she had to come to Norfolk for some other reason and stopped by to say hello," Kara said. "Not that she noticed any of us while we were up in the Arctic," Alisha replied with a shake of her head.

"She was obviously paying more attention than we thought. She told her friend – that Dennis Milowsky guy – enough about Danny and me that he recognized us," Kara reminded Alisha.

"Maybe she was secretly studying us. An experiment on what happens when you cram 216 people together on a destroyer for four months with no communication with the outside." Alisha smirked at Kara. "I can think of one interesting thing that happened."

Kara gave her friend a playful smack.

"Or she was watching us for transgressions to report to the Captain," Nishioka added.

"I don't think so," Kara replied carefully. She hadn't told anyone, including Alicia, about Doctor Scott catching her and Danny kissing in the storage locker. But clearly Doctor Scott hadn't reported them. There was no way that Captain Chandler would have ignored such flagrant violations of the rules.

Just then Burk plopped down in the chair next to Alisha. "Hey baby girl. I heard that you got a little something something planned for this weekend."

"A little something something?" Alisha gave Carlton a sideways glance. "Oh, you mean Danny and Kara's _engagement party_. I suppose you can come by if you want. I had to invite Bercham after all. Although if either of you grabs my ass there is going to be hell to pay."

Kara chuckled. As annoying as Bercham could be, he was a good friend to Danny, which explained why Kara hadn't allowed Alisha to nix him from the guest list. "That reminds me. Danny wanted to add a few people to the guest list. Apparently Little Creek is running an international exchange program right now and Danny thought it would be a friendly gesture to invite some of them to the party. Introduce them to some new people."

"The more the merrier," Alisha replied without hesitation.

The conversation was cut short when Captain Chandler entered the room from a side door, Doctor Scott on his heels. Kara felt a wave of unease as she watched him cross the gymnasium to talk quietly to the XO. She had never seen that particular look on his face, his jaw clenched, his neck pulsing. If it had been anyone else, she would have said that he was furious. But what could Doctor Scott possibly have said to cause such a reaction? Kara glanced at the woman, who had stopped by the door where they had entered, her eyes glued on Captain Chandler. The other woman was dressed much more formally than Kara was used to, in a dark pantsuit and silk blouse, her hair pulled back in a twist. She was even wearing heels. Hardly the type of attire that she would have brought to the arctic.

"Everyone at attention!" Slattery stepped forward. "Two lines down before the table. I haven't got all day people so let's move it. Everyone except Lieutenant Foster – Doctor Scott wants to speak with you herself."

With a shrug for Alisha, Kara made her way over to where Doctor Scott was standing. As the woman waived Kara into the room she and Captain Chandler had just vacated, Kara realized that they were in a small office that smelled of gym shoes and mold. Kara stood silently, waiting for Doctor Scott to speak.

"I understand that congratulations are in order – an engagement and a pregnancy. You and Lieutenant Green certainty didn't waste any time." Although Doctor Scott was smiling, the gesture didn't reach her eyes. The woman looked worried. Tired. As though the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

"Very kind of you, ma'am," Kara replied politely. There was another moment of silence before Kara spoke again. "I'm not entirely sure why you wanted to speak with me, Doctor Scott. Is it something to do with the vaccine? I should probably talk to my OBGYN before making a decision."

An agitated look appeared on Rachel's face. "Please call me Rachel. I assume I can call you Kara?"

"Of course," Kara replied, despite her utter confusion both with the conversation and Rachel's presence.

"I know that we didn't spend much time together on the Nathan James," Rachel started, "But during my time I came to very much respect you, Kara. You sometimes remind me of .. well somebody else that I knew."

Rachel paused.

"I don't think that I ever mentioned it, but I spent two years working at a trauma ward in Mogadishu. I watched people die. Sometimes because of their injuries, but more often because of lack of medicine or equipment. The only way to get through those days was to focus on those that I could save. To remind myself that every life that I saved was important. That each life mattered."

"Sometimes our jobs require a certain amount of secrecy in order to protect the broader interest. I understand that, even if I don't always agree with it. Which is why I can't explain why I am here today, or why it is so important that you get the vaccine, Kara. I am fully aware of the risks involved in taking experimental vaccinations when pregnant. But you have to trust me that, in this case, the benefits far outweigh the risks. And none of this can leave the room. Not even to talk to Danny."

Kara stared at the other woman. She barely knew Rachel. She certainly had no reason to blindly trust her.

"Sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith," Rachel said quietly, as though she were reading Kara's mind. "If you're ready, I have a shot right here."

Without replying, Kara rolled up her sleeves. She had no idea why she had so much confidence in Rachel, but she did. Something about the other woman was so sincere, so raw, so compelling. The needle stung slightly as Rachel inserted in into Kara's arm and then it was done. Kara thought she saw a look of relief pass over Rachel's face.

Kara tilted her head to the side. "You obviously feel passionate about vaccinations. That speech could have moved Congress."

A faint smile passed over Rachel's face. "Actually, it did." xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kara snuck a glance at the door, hoping that Danny had arrived while she was in the bathroom. Alisha had insisted that Danny and Kara shouldn't see each other before the party, for some reason, so Danny had volunteered to pick the guys up from Little Creek while the girls got ready. Joining Alisha at the bar, Kara smoothed down the black and silver dress she was wearing. She was just starting to get a baby bump, although right now it looked more like she eaten too many donuts for breakfast, which the dress's high waist conveniently hid. Not that it was a secret anymore. In fact, she knew that Frankie and Alicia were running betting pools on the baby's actual birth date as well as whether the baby was a boy or a girl.

"And who is _that_?" Alisha hissed at Kara. Peaking over her shoulder to see who Alisha was talking about, Kara did a doubletake.

Danny had just walked into the room, his head bent towards an absolutely gorgeous brunette, a woman who Kara had never laid eyes on before. Brown flowing locks, perfect brows, sweetheart mouth … and eyes that looked slightly uncertain. Behind Danny was another stranger, a man with broad shoulders and a scruffy beard who was talking with Frankie. Kara drew in a sharp breathe as she realized that these were the guests that Danny had picked up – his training partners from Little Creek. It had never occurred to Kara that one of them might be a woman. A woman spending every day with Danny doing training exercises – training exercises that involved a _lot_ of physical contact. A fissure of unease ran down her back.

"Are you going to introduce me?" Carlton asked, leaning over to whisper into Kara's ear.

Shaking off her unease at the newcomers, Kara linked her arm through Carlton's. This was her engagement party, for heaven's sake, and she was going to enjoy it. "Well first I need to be introduced myself."

"Hey beautiful." Danny gave her that slow, sexy smile she loved as they approached, his entire attention moving from the brunette to Kara. Wrapped his arms around her waist, he pulled her in for a very thorough kiss. Kara could feel herself flushing as Frankie and Bercham started whistling.

Breaking away reluctantly, she leaned back. "Are you going to introduce me to your new friends?" "This is Ravit Bivas, Israeli Defense Forces. And Wolf Taylor, Royal Australian Navy."

"It was so kind of you to invite us," Ravit added, her husky voice a perfect match for her sultry appearance.

"After hearing all about you from Bercham, I had to meet the woman who can apparently outshoot Green," Wolf teased. Ravit punched him in the arm.

From the corner of her eye, Kara noticed Burk scowling at the Australian. Interesting. Carlton wasn't exactly a choir boy, but in the four years that she had known him, she had never seen him have such a strong reaction to a woman. Carlton was more of a flirt, claiming that monogamy wasn't consistent with a naval lifestyle. But from the way he was looking at Ravit, Kara suspected that Carlton's views on relationships might just be changing.

"Are the two of you?" Alisha waved her finger between Wolf and Ravit. A look of horror passed over Ravit's face.

"He is like my brother," she said, stepping away from Wolf. "An annoying, overprotective big brother."

"I have a few of those," Kara replied, glancing to Burk.

"Hey!" Carlton replied. "I have been nothing but nice to Danny."

"Only because you knew I could kick your ass," Danny tossed back.

"In your dreams, Green. Really I couldn't deprive the crew the amusement of watching you drool over Kara. The way you would follow her around the ship like a puppy dog. It was an embarrassment to all mankind."

Danny shrugged. "Hey, it got me the girl, didn't it?"

"Men." Ravit rolled her eyes at Kara.

"Let me introduce you to some people." Although Kara was fairly certain that the invitation was meant for Ravit, both Wolf and Bivas followed Carlton.

Kara rested her head against Danny's shoulder. "So, how much time are you spending on these joint exercises?"

Shifting slightly, Danny tilted Kara's face towards him. "Ravit and I are colleagues. No different than you and Nishioka."

Kara bit down on her lip to hide a smile. "Actually, I was referring to Wolf. There's something about a man from down under…."

Wrapping his arms around her more securely, Danny barked out a laugh. Leaning into him, Kara looked around the room, filed with people here to celebrate this milestone in her and Danny's lives. Ravit was talking with Alisha and Sarah while Carlton hovered nearby. Miller, Cossetti and Cruz were throwing darts with Burk. Frankie was arguing with Mason and Nishioka about something. Rios and Chung were engaged in a serious discussion over a pile of onion rings. Even Barker had made an appearance.

Kara blinked away tears as she smiled up at Danny. "I have never been so happy."


	6. Where Danny and Kara celebrate Christmas

"Something bothering you, Green?" Wolf asked as he joined them at the table, the words rolling off his tongue rhythmically. Danny glanced at the Australian. Wolf had been a hit with the ladies at his and Kara's engagement party, due in no small part to his accent. Even Alisha hadn't been immune. "You seem rather distracted."

Frankie groaned. "Please do not get him started."

Wolf looked back and forth between the two men. "Anyone going to fill me in?"

"I forget that you weren't here for the engagement ring debacle," Frankie explained, rolling his eyes. "It was neurotic Danny Green at his finest. He made us all go to the store and look at _every single ring_. For weeks it was all he could talk about. And now he's decided he has to find Kara the perfect gift for Christmas."

Danny smacked Frankie in the back of the head before turning to Wolf. "Don't listen to Benz. He's just a scrooge. If you have any ideas for gifts, though, I am open to suggestions."

"Get her a crossbow. She mentioned wanting one," Frankie replied, rubbing his head where Danny had hit him. Danny leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs while he idly flipped a quarter. "You are such the romantic, Frankie. I am shocked that you don't have better luck with the ladies."

"Ask Ravit," Wolf suggested. Everyone turned towards the Israeli woman with hopeful expressions. Ravit gave an exasperated sigh. "You know that I'm Jewish, right?"

"But you're a woman," Frankie observed, stating the obvious. "You know what kind of gifts women like." Ravit rolled her eyes. "I'm staying out of this."

"I'm telling you – just go with jewelry, man." Bercham mumbled, his mouth full of meatloaf. "Women always like jewelry."

"Jewelry just doesn't feel very personal," Danny replied, biting down on his lip. "I want to get her something special."

"God knows she deserves it," Frankie muttered. "Putting up with your family twice in a month."

"They aren't that bad," Danny responded automatically.

"Oh really? Because I seem to recall your sister inviting your exgirlfriend to join you and Kara on your ski trip. Or am I getting you mixed up with someone else?" Frankie's voice dripped of sarcasm.

Milk actually shot out of Wolf's nose. "She did _what_?"

Danny shrugged. "Long story. But it's another reason why I need to buy Kara a very nice Christmas present. In case my family does something equally embarrassing this time."

Bercham and Smith exchanged looks. "Is Kara's mother coming too?" Danny flipped the quarter again. "Yup. They're meeting for the first time."

"So you can't even drink," Bercham said mournfully. Danny shot him a dark look. He thought that he had made it clear that Debbie Foster – and her drinking problem – were off limits.

"Clothes?" Frankie suggested, trying to break the tension.

Ravit's fork hit her plate with a thud. "You think that buying clothes for a pregnant woman is a good idea?" "Why not?" Frankie replied warily.

"And what size do you suggest that Danny buy?" Ravit asked sweetly. "Because if he buys Kara her current size, and they don't fit, she is not going to be very happy. And if he buys her clothing in a bigger size, he might as well just ask for the ring back now."

That was definitely not the response that Danny was hoping for. "Scratching clothing off the list." "What about a puppy?" Smith asked. "Kara loves Halsey."

Ravit snorted. "You people are hopeless. Only a man would think that having a puppy and a baby is a good idea."

"Well if you are going to shoot down all of our suggestions," Frankie said scathingly, "you should make some of your own."

Ravit was silent for a moment. "What about a nice picture of the two of you? Maybe from a special occasion?"

"Ha!" Bercham almost fell out of his chair laughing. "I know! Danny can frame the picture of the Nathan Jamescrew in formation and caption it 'how we met.'"

Ignoring his friend, Danny smiled at Ravit. "I like the picture idea. It's personal. But not by itself. It needs to go with something else."

"Furniture?" Wolf asked. "You did just move in together, right?"

"What about one of those cushioned rocking chairs with the foot stools?" Ravit suggested. "They are really comfy and it would be handy with a baby."

"That would solve the argument you guys are having over the living room chairs," Frankie noted. "Your recliner _is_  pretty ugly."

Danny hesitated. A rocking chair would be pretty nice for the baby, but he _loved_ that recliner. It was completely broken in and the perfect place to watch football. Unfortunately, Kara hated it, the one thing from his apartment that she had asked him not to bring.

"New chair it is." Danny stood up, making sure he was well out of range before speaking again. "I'm happy to

return the favor, Ravit, if you are looking for ideas on what to buy Carlton." Dumping his dishes, Danny disappeared out the door before Bivas could retaliate.

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"Are you certain that Caroline didn't tell them about the baby?" Kara asked.

She had just finished wrapping the picture frames that they had bought for his parents and Debbie, each one containing an ultrasound picture of their little June bug. Kara had also found "I love my aunt" and "I love my uncle" mugs for Caro and Chris – Caro's with a caricature of a nurse and Chris's with a picture of a soccer ball. Although they both knew that Chris was unlikely to use his, neither Danny nor Kara had been able to locate anything baby related that seemed appropriate for a teenage boy, and Danny hadn't wanted to leave Christopher out when they made the big announcement.

Danny took a moment to consider Kara's question. He had never confirmed Caro's suspicions that Kara was pregnant and, knowing Caro, she would have wanted to make sure that her information was correct before saying anything. If there was one thing that Caro hated, it was being wrong. "If she did, my parents have been very cagey about it and, honestly, I don't think they could have kept the news to themselves. They would be too excited. Having a grandchild is a big deal, after all."

That made Kara laugh. She held out her hand for Danny to help her up from the floor. Glancing down at her stomach, Kara pulled her sweater flat to reveal the small bump that she was now sporting. "I think my mother must suspect something by now. She's commented several times on how much I am eating."

"Are you still nervous about telling her?" Danny asked, his hand resting on her stomach. To Danny, the idea that Debbie Foster might be unhappy about the pregnancy was mystifying. He and Kara weren't seventeen. They were adults. They were financially secure. They were even engaged to be married (although the timing on the two events was slightly suspect). Danny had no doubt that his parents would be overjoyed by the news. Kara, on the other hand, seemed more nervous to tell her mother about the baby than she had been to tell Captain Chandler.

"Yes," Kara admitted. "I'm really glad that your family decided to come down to Norfolk for Christmas. Not just because we can tell them the news in person but also because I hope that when my mother sees how excited your parents are about the baby that she gets excited too."

"By the time my mother is done with her, they'll have the baby shower planned," Danny replied confidently. Giving Kara a tight hug, Danny brushed a kiss across her forehead, hoping that his confidence wasn't misplaced. He didn't want anything, including Debbie, to ruin this moment for Kara.

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"This all smells delicious," Joanne said from the doorway. There was only room for two people in the small kitchen and even that was a tight squeeze. "What are we having?"

"Ham, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and rolls," Kara replied. "Oh, and pie."

As she turned back towards the table, the snowflake diamond earrings that Danny had given Kara earlier that day sparkled in the light. Bercham had seen the earrings and dragged Danny to the store, insisting that they were perfect for Kara. He had been right. Kara had cried when she opened the box. For all of the man's faults, Bercham did have good, albeit expensive, taste in jewelry.

"And olives," Danny teased. "Lots and lots of olives."

Kara tossed an olive at Danny's head before popping one into her mouth. Recently she had been eating them almost nonstop. "You were the one that bought twentyfive cans."

The doorbell rang. Wiping her hands on her apron, Kara headed towards the door. "That will be my mother." Danny slid the ham back into the oven, setting the timer for thirty minutes. His mother started laughing.

"What?"

"I never thought that I would see you this domesticated," Joanne replied.

Danny tried to scowl but just ended up chuckling as he looked down at the apron he was wearing, red gingerbread men dancing across the front. Kara had stuffed it into his stocking this morning as a joke. "Kara likes to cook. I guess it is rubbing off on me. Come on. I'll introduce you to Debbie."

"Danny!"

His first clue was how high pitched Debbie's voice was, the second was the pinched look on Kara's face, and the cincher was the blast of rum that hit Danny when his almostmotherinlaw threw her arms around him. He disentangled himself carefully, not wanting Debbie to fall over from the loss of support. He noticed that Kara had already disappeared into the kitchen, presumably to get some coffee. Leading Debbie into the living room, Danny made sure she was seated before starting introductions.

"Everyone, this is Debbie Foster, Kara's mother. Debbie, this is my father Mark, my mother Joanne, my sister Caroline, and my brother Christopher."

Debbie smiled brightly. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Kara has told me so much about you and how much fun she had up in Vermont a few weeks ago."

Danny relaxed slightly. Despite being a touch unstable on her feet, Debbie's voice was steady and her eyes only slightly glossy. Danny had seen the woman in far worse condition. Some food and coffee should do the trick. Just then Kara reappeared, pressing a cup into Debbie's hands before sitting down next to her mother on the loveseat.

"We are just thrilled that Danny found such a wonderful woman to marry," Joanne replied, nodding to Kara. "Can you believe that the wedding is only six weeks away?" Caro asked cheekily. "Kids these days are so impatient."

"I only knew my husband – Kara's father – for a month before we got married," Debbie replied. She sipped her coffee absently. "When you meet that person, sometimes you just know."

"So very true." Mark reached out to take Joanne's hand. "Joanne and I were engaged for almost four years while she finished school, but I would have married her the day that I met her."

Joanne flushed. "The feeling was mutual."

"Can we open some presents?" Chris asked, clearly uninterested with the direction that the conversation had taken.

"Sure." Danny glanced at Kara, who gave him a quick nod. "Actually, we have something for all of you." After passing out the boxes, Danny sat down on the arm of the loveseat next to Kara, feeling the tiniest bit nervous. As though sensing his sudden apprehension, Kara squeezed Danny's thigh. For a moment the room was quiet as everyone ripped off the paper covering the packages. His mother – a doctor – was the first to catch on, immediately identifying the ultrasound picture.

"A baby?" She gasped before turning to Mark. "We're going to have a grandchild!" "Our boy is all grown up," Mark replied, wiping away a tear.

"I _knew_ that I saw you switching those champagne glasses," Caro announced triumphantly. She jumped up to give both Danny and Kara hugs, startling Danny. Maybe his sister really was trying to make amends for her behavior over the past few months.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Chris asked.

"Too early to tell yet, bud," Danny responded, reaching over to ruffle his brother's hair.

"When are you due?" Caro demanded, grabbing the frame from Joanne to study the picture. "I'm going to guess boy."

"June," Kara replied, smiling up at Danny.

"Well that explains why a June wedding wasn't in the cards," Joanne teased. A flush spread over Kara's face. Unsurprised by his family's enthusiastic response, Danny glanced over at Debbie. She hadn't said a word, eyes fixed on the picture sitting in her lap.

"Mom?" Kara asked quietly. "Are you okay?"

Debbie looked up, her eyes misty, and she reached out to grasp Kara's hand. "I'm going to be a grandmother. Life has never been better." xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were sitting on the couch watching the Grinch, Kara almost asleep against Danny, when the doorbell rang. Kara struggled to a sitting position.

"Maybe they forgot something?" she murmured sleepily.

"I'll get it, you stay here."

Swinging the door open, Danny grinned at Frankie. "I owe you one. Drinks on me tomorrow?"

"You're on," Frankie replied as he disappeared down the hallway, leaving Danny to maneuver the chair and stool through the door to the apartment. Luckily the chair wasn't heavy, although the rocking mechanism made it awkward to lift.

"One last surprise," Danny explained as he slid the chair into the living room and ran back to retrieve the footstool. When he returned, Kara was standing next to the rocker, her face puzzled. "A rocking chair. I thought it would be nice to have for the baby."

As the silence stretched, Danny's excitement disappeared. Damn it. This had seemed like such a good idea. He tried to remember what the return policy was on the chair.

Kara reached out to stroke the soft green cushion. "It's a beautiful chair, Danny, but where are we going to put it? The apartment is pretty full now that you've moved your stuff in and we don't even have a crib yet."

"I thought we could put it in the corner where the Christmas tree is," Danny explained.

Kara glanced over to the corner with a slight frown. "That's where we agreed to put your recliner."

"Well, about that," Danny cleared his throat, "turns out that Frankie really loves the recliner so I said he could keep it."

"You agreed to give Frankie the recliner?" Kara's voice was dubious. "Your favorite chair?" Danny shrugged. "It didn't really work with the other furniture anyway."

Kara sank into the rocking chair, propping her legs on the footstool. She peeked up at Danny, nibbling on her bottom lip. "Very comfortable."

Danny crossed his arms across his chest as he leaned back against the doorjamb. "Ravit suggested it, actually."

"Bivas, huh? I guess I owe her." The corners of Kara's mouth curled into her smile. She tilted her head at him. "This really is a twoforone deal."

Danny frowned at her, not following. Kara stood, pushing against his chest until he started walking backwards down the hall to the bedroom.

"Not only do I get a beautiful new rocking chair," Kara explained. "But I also _don't_ have to keep that nasty old beatup recliner that even the Salvation Army wouldn't touch. Best Christmas present ever."


	7. Where Danny gets Drunk

 

Danny wrapped his arms around Kara, holding her tightly as he leaned down to kiss her. When her hands slid under his jacket and shirt to run up his back, Danny seriously considered canceling the whole weekend and spending it with Kara instead. To hell with a bachelor party.

"Yo, Green!" Berchem shouted. "Time to go! Kara will be here when we get back."

Slipping her hand out from under his shirt, Kara reached up to nip Danny's ear. "No strippers. No jail. No hospitals. Capish?"

As though he could think straight with Kara plastered against him, her sultry voice in his ear. What had she said? Oh yeah, no strippers. "Got it."

Raising his head, Danny gave his friends his best authoritative stare. "No strippers and no felonies. You hear that Berchem? I am NOT getting dumped two weeks before the wedding."

"Aye, aye skipper." Berchem gave Kara a salute. She rolled her eyes. She knew Berchem well enough by now to know that he was fundamentally incapable of staying out of trouble.

"Promise to make it up to me later?" She whispered, looking up at Danny in a way that never failed to make his heart leap.

As someone laid on the horn, Danny finally tore himself away from Kara. "Alright, I'm coming. How impatient do you guys have to be?"

"At the rate you are moving we won't hit the casino until Sunday!" Frankie snapped.

Danny climbed into the Sprinter van that Berchem had insisted on renting so that they could all drive to the casino together. Danny had to admit that the thing was spacious. Plenty of room for everyone – or at least everyone coming from Norfolk. Tom, Eddie, and Waldron were meeting them at the casino, which was midway between Virginia and Connecticut. Berchem, in typical fashion, had invited the male half of the Nathan James' crew as well as the special force operators in Little Creek to join them for the weekend, and Burk, Cruz, Wolf and Miller had accepted. Miller's presence was the most unexpected. Danny had a feeling that the younger man had no idea what he was in for. He had shown up at the apartment this morning with a gift and, unlike like the massive box of condoms that Smith had given Danny, it hadn't been a gag. A weekend with Berchem and Waldron might be more than Miller could handle.

Berchem's original idea had been to fly to Las Vegas but Danny had quickly nixed that plan. Berchem's bachelor party had been in Vegas and had violated all of Kara's rules, as well as some others that she hadn't thought of. Danny didn't remember large chunks of the weekend but there had definitely been strippers (something that Danny had neglected to tell Rebecca, resulting in a rather unpleasant argument after the fact when she found out from a third party), and one trip to the hospital to get Frankie's stomach pumped. Danny was not entirely sure why the police had been called, something to do with Smith swimming in the fountain at the Bellagio, but he was fairly certain that their military IDs were the only reason that they had not been arrested.

"Time to party!" Berchem cracked open a beer and handed it to Danny.

"Hey!" Smith shouted. "Let's not get arrested for violating the open container law before 10 a.m. Pretty sure that would piss Kara off."

"Killjoy." With a sigh Berchem chugged the beer, tossing the container in the trash and cranking up the radio so they could listen to the special party mix that Berchem had made for the trip, a combination of prank calls by the Beastie Boys and dialogue from grand theft auto.

Sprawling out in his seat, Danny laughed. This weekend was his last hurrah and he planned to enjoy every minute of it.

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"Dad!" Danny crossed the lobby to give his father a hug. They had just finished checking in when Mark appeared. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I was in the area and thought maybe I could steal you away for an early dinner," Mark replied.

Danny arched an eyebrow at his father. The casino was a two hour drive from Cornwall. "That sounds great. I'm starving. All these lugs will feed me is beer."

Mark laughed. "I won't stay long. I don't want to know what else you boys have planned for the weekend."

"Nothing to worry about, Mr. Green," Smith replied with a wink at Danny. "Your future daughter-in-law made us promise that there would not be any strippers.

Mark arched an eyebrow at Smith and Berchem. "And do you intend to keep your word?"

"Can I plead the fifth?" Berchem cackled.

"Frankie, throw this in my room. I'll catch up with you."

Tossing his bag to Frankie, Danny headed towards the casino restaurant with Mark. They both ordered the steak (after Danny promised not to tell his mother that Mark was eating red meat) and Danny sipped a beer as they waited for the food to arrive, chatting with his father about work, Chris's college applications and football. Danny couldn't remember the last time that he had spent time with his father, just the two of them. He was glad that Mark had decided to surprise him tonight.

They were halfway through their food when Mark spoke. "I was worried about you, you know. After the break-up with Rebecca, I mean, and the fight with Caroline. Having you out of contact for six months was tough."

"I'm a little old for you to be staying up at night worrying about me, Dad. Besides, I was on a destroyer in the arctic. Stuck on a ship with no alcohol. Not many ways to get in trouble up there." Of course, there had been one major way to get in trouble in the arctic, but Danny had no intention of telling his father anything about his and Kara's extracurricular activities.

"You'll find out soon enough that you never really stop worrying about your kids," Mark replied dryly. "And I didn't know that you were in the arctic, remember? For all I knew you were partying it up in the Bahamas."

"Afraid that I was going to go the Berchem route?" Danny asked cheekily.

Mark chuckled. "I'm not sure it is possible to emulate Steven. He is a force unto himself. I was thinking along the lines of Waldron. But you surprised me – in a good way. Kara is a wonderful woman. I think the two of you are going to be very happy together."

"Kara's amazing. I have never met anyone like her before." Just the thought of Kara made Danny smile.

"And you are going to be a wonderful father," Mark continued. "I suspect that you and Kara didn't plan to jump into parenthood quite this soon, but you've embraced it. I'm proud of you, son."

Danny met his father's eyes, seeing the pride, love and sincerity behind the words. "I hope that Kara and I are as happy as you and Mom have been. You showed me the kind of life that I want. The kind of husband that I want to be. The kind of father that I want to be. I hope I live up to your example."

Mark paused a moment to clear his throat. "Marriage can be hard work, but it is worth it for the right woman. And if I can give you a some fatherly advice, let the little things go. All of those fights that people have about cleaning the house, or watching the baby, or spending too much money – none of that stuff matters in the long run. In twenty years you won't remember that Kara blew the budget on a new dress, but you will remember how she looked the night that she wore the dress. Focus your energy on the positive. Spend time together. Laugh together. Make memories together. Those happy moments will carry you through the tough times."

Danny took a moment to digest his father's words, taking them to heart. Mark and Joanne had been married for close to thirty years and, from what Danny could tell, they truly were happy. He could not imagine either one of them without the other.

"So what you are saying is that I should stop trying to keep this wedding on budget?"

Mark laughed. "Well, there are limits to everything. Although I am a bit surprised. Kara didn't strike me as the bridezilla type."

"You have yet to meet her maid of honor," Danny explained before regaling Mark with all of Alisha's over-the-top, and expensive, ideas.

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"Danny! Mark!"

Danny turned to see Waldron and Eddie, Tom hanging several feet behind, scowling. Recently it seemed like Tom was perpetually in a bad mood and Danny almost wished that the man hadn't bothered coming.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Waldron said as he gave Mark a hug.

"I was just leaving," Mark replied. "I am much too old for the kind of antics that you boys get into."

Danny made a face as he glanced behind Tom. "Do I see Amber and Caroline?

Waldron rolled his eyes. " _Someone_ told Amber a story about Berchem's bachelor party – something about strippers and fountains?"

Danny groaned and looked at his father who shrugged.

"You are both adults. You can deal with her." Mark gave Danny another hug. He turned towards the door before pausing and turning back. "Strippers and fountains? Really? Thank goodness Chris isn't here."

Eddie looked amused. "I'm sure that Rebecca was exaggerating but Caroline decided that we needed, and I quote, 'adult supervision' and there was no convincing her otherwise."

Actually Rebecca had only heard a toned down version of the story. Unfortunately Danny was pretty sure that Caro had heard a more complete account, one that involved the appearance of the police, but that still wasn't a good reason for her to be here. Danny had a little more restraint than Berchem. He scowled in Caro's direction. "She is trying to drive me insane. I know that she doesn't want to be here. She hates Berchem and Cruz and only tolerates Frankie."

Berchem picked that moment to pop his head out of the bar, waving to the other guys to join him. He gave Waldron a fist bump before turning to Eddie. "Looks like someone is pussy-whipped."

"Maybe. But the benefits more than make up for the inconvenience," Eddie replied, winking at Danny. Danny winced. Eddie and Berchem knew each other, of course, but few people knew how hard Berchem had taken his divorce. The guy was well aware of what he was missing out on.

Amber walked over to give Danny a hug, baby balanced on her hip. "I am just here to drop Eddie off – I'm visiting a girlfriend this weekend – but if I have to come bail out my husband there will be hell to pay. Am I clear?"

Danny grinned at the feisty redhead. "No jail. Scout's honor."

"Uh huh. If this wedding gets called off between now and Monday I will not blame Kara one bit," Amber replied as she flounced out the door, leaving Caro behind. Danny eyed his sister warily.

After a moment she turned, strolling towards the front desk. "I'm only here to deal with police, EMTs, and angry pimps. Go get drunk or something. Text me if you need me. Except for you, Cruz. I blocked your number years ago."

Caro was gone before Danny could begin to form a reply. Burk slapped him on the back. "That's your sister? No wonder Cruz quivers at the sound of her name."

"Caroline is like the Wicked Witch of the West except that water doesn't kill her." Frankie shuddered. "I need a drink."

"First let's get the introductions over," Danny replied, turning back to the guys. His team, Cruz, and the Cornwall crowd had met before, and Danny was certain that Burk and Wolf could hold their own. That just left Miller, who was hanging back, slightly uncertain. "And this is Miller. No traumatizing the kid. Understood? I have no intentions of getting called before his CO to explain why he failed to report for duty."

"I'm offended," Waldron said humorously. "You know that I teach kids his age for a living, right?"

"You actually teach?" Eddie demanded, his voice shocked. "For some reason I thought that all your job involved was hanging out with sexy co-eds."

"Eh. A little from column A and a little from column B," Waldron replied.

Smith choked on his drink. "I had forgotten how much I liked your friends, Danny. We should do this more often."

"Assuming we all survive the weekend," Danny retorted.

"Now that the parental figure has left I think it's time for shots," Frankie announced. "And as the man of the hour, Danny gets to match everybody shot for shot."

As they turned towards the bar, Burk pulled Danny slightly to the side. "I overheard Smith say that you got orders. How long until you leave?"

"Three weeks," Danny replied. "We ship out a week after the wedding."

"Does Kara know yet?"

Danny nodded. "I told her last night. I didn't want her finding out from someone else. She seemed to take it pretty well but I caught her crying this morning. Hormones can kind of suck."

"That would explain the PDA this morning," Burk commented. "The James will be in port for two more months. We'll keep an eye on her."

Danny slung his arm around Burk's shoulders. He and Carlton had almost nothing in common, and yet a bond had formed that Danny couldn't quite explain. Danny trusted the man to watch over Kara and the baby as much as he trusted his own team. "I appreciate that. It means a lot."

"Do you know where you're going?"

Danny shrugged. "A conflict zone in Africa. We are going to be providing security for the medical teams sent in to treat the Red Flu. I hope that that vaccine Doctor Scott developed really works. That thing is pretty deadly."

"I'm sure it does," Burke replied. "That woman is nothing if not a perfectionist. I couldn't believe she showed up in person to make sure that every single member of the Nathan James crew got their vaccine. And when she pulled Kara aside to give her the shot personally? I had to hand it to her. That lady has balls to argue with a pregnant woman."

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Several hours later Danny was pleasantly plastered. Actually he might be beyond pleasantly plastered but since his body had stopped communicating with his brain he wasn't entirely sure. After the third or fourth round of shots the guys had decided that riding a mechanical bull would be fun and, although nothing was broken, Danny was pretty sure that they were all going to wake up with bruises. Frankie caught Danny as he stumbled across the hallway and almost slammed headfirst into the wall. As Frankie maneuvered the two of them through the doorway into a room, Danny caught a glimpse of Miller talking animatedly to Cruz.

"Hey Miller, did you have a thing for Kara in the arctic?" Danny paused, surprised by how slurred his words sounded. He didn't _feel_ that drunk. "Cuz you sure were underfoot a lot. Always offering to carry things for her or to spot her during weight training."

The younger man froze, eyes darting around the room as though he was scared that someone was going to punch him. Danny almost toppled over as Frankie dumped him onto … someone's … bed. He had no idea what room they were in at this point.

"No, not at all. Of course not. Lieutenant Foster is an officer. You're an officer. I would never..."

Thankfully Burk cut him off before the babbling got too embarrassing. "Give it a rest, Miller. We all know that you had a crush on Kara."

Ignoring the fact that Miller had turned a strange shade of red and looked like he might puke, Danny laughed. "You aren't so bad Miller. You have balls. In a couple of years and you might be in charge of your own VBSS team."

Waldron threw himself down on the bed next to Danny, the movement of the bed resulting in a correlating disturbance in Danny's stomach. "So now that you are sufficiently sloshed, I want to know how you met the lovely Miss Foster. For real. Not the Navy approved version. I don't give a fig about fraternization rules."

"Actually Cruz introduced them," Burk replied. "A couple of days before the Nathan James left for the arctic."

"Kara was playing darts with Burk." Danny paused. "The way she threw those darts was so damn sexy. She had on these tight jeans and each time she raised her arm her shirt would ride up and I'd get a glimpse of that flat stomach…. Oh, and she won. That was pretty damn sexy too."

"Oh for the love of God," Frankie muttered.

"Green thinks it's a secret but everybody on the Nathan James knows that he and Kara went home together that night," Burk added, smirking.

"That is not true," Danny felt the need to defend himself. "I walked her home. Like a gentle, hiccup, man."

"Really? That's all? You didn't even try to kiss her?" Waldron demanded.

Danny scowled at Frankie. He was way too drunk for this. "When do the fraternization rules kick in?"

"Ha! I knew it!" Waldron crowed. "I _knew_ you couldn't have made it almost six months before so much as kissing the woman."

"I can attest to the fact that Danny woke up in his own bed the next morning," Frankie said sternly, his comment apparently directed towards Miller, a warning to keep his mouth closed. "Although he did disappear again that evening and got home with just enough time to take a shower and grab his bags before reporting to the Nathan James."

Danny shrugged. "I had things to do."

"And by _things_ I assume you mean Kara," Waldron retorted.

A knock on the door interrupted the levity. Cruz, being closest, answered it. Danny was expecting strippers, despite Berchem's protests to the contrary, but it was Caroline. Danny groaned as she pushed her way to the side of the bed, hands on hips.

"How drunk are you?" She asked.

Danny considered the question. "On a scale of 1 to 10?"

Caro sighed, exasperated. "Yes."

"An eleven." Danny beamed at her. "And do not even think about trying to sober me up. I'm going to be a dad soon. That means no more drunk weekends with the guys. I want to enjoy this."

"Well, fewer drunk weekends with the boys," Eddie corrected.

Danny gave him a thumbs up. "Remind me to tell Amber how awesome she is the next time that I see her."

"She's just relieved that Kara is normal – nice even – and not eighteen. Dealing with Waldron's revolving door of teenagers gets annoying."

"What happened to Holly anyway, Waldron?" Danny asked.

"Who?"

"The girl you brought to Vermont," Eddie reminded him.

"Oh, her," Waldron shrugged dismissively. "Semester ended."

"You sound devastated." Danny sat up, ignoring a wave of nausea. He waved a finger back and forth between Caro and Waldron. "Did the two of you ever have sex? I know Caro had a total crush on you in high school."

"As if I would ever do something so…" Waldron began but Caro cut him off.

"They are never going to believe the 'I'm a gentlemen' routine, Waldron," Caro said scathingly. "But the answer is no."

"Really? Because he _did_ take you to the senior prom. I thought Dad was going to have a heart attack when he realized who your date was. _Everybody_ knows that sex on prom night is a tradition. Even Dad."

Oddly, Danny saw Caro glanced at Cruz before answering. "Your friends all seem to have the strange idea that I am off limits. Even Waldron. Although Berchem does have an annoying habit of grabbing my ass."

"It's a nice ass," Berchem replied, not cowed in the least.

"Hey! No discussion of my sister's ass!" The room was silent for a moment before Danny turned back to Caro. "Anyway, Caroline, now that you have answered my question and confirmed that I have not yet done anything to jeopardize my upcoming marriage, you are dismissed."

Caro actually snorted. "I came by to give you a gift, moron. Not that you should be around a flame in your current state."

Caroline tossed a package at Danny. Unfortunately he didn't get his hands up in time and it hit him in the stomach, bringing on another wave of nausea. Grumbling, Danny unwrapped the brightly wrapped package to find a box of cigars. He looked at his sister in surprise. "You bought me cancer sticks?"

"Not exactly. Those are cigars. But they will do the same thing if you smoke them regularly."

"Arturo Fuentes," Frankie said with appreciation. He glanced at Caro. "When you drop the wicked witch routine you aren't so bad."

"Well, I figure that my brother is only going to get married once – or maybe twice – so I might as well do it right. Besides, I like Kara. She keeps Danny in line. Probably by threating to shoot him."

Someone knocked at the door and Danny glanced over at Berchem. "Are those strippers?"

"You know," Berchem said as he answered the door and collected the stack of pizzas, "I am kind of offended that you think I would hire strippers after I promised Kara that I wouldn't."

Sitting up, Danny reached for a slice. "Only because I know you so well."


	8. Where Alisha Plans a Party

"Danny hates peppers and onions. How did you get him to agree to all of these vegetables?" Joanne asked, scrutinizing the paper in front of her. Kara pretended not to notice Alisha smirking. Everyone on the Nathan James knew that Danny hated onions with a passion. Bacon had taken it as a personal challenge and regularly tried to slip some into Danny's food unnoticed, but no matter how small the onions were diced, Danny always managed to taste them and would spend the remainder of the meal picking them out of his food.

"The pasta will be made to order so we have a spread of vegetables and people can choose what to add," Kara explained, her stomach rumbling. "We also have a baked potato bar so I doubt Danny will bother with the pasta at all."

Kara checked her watch as discretely as possible. She had scheduled thirty minutes for the meeting with the caterer but they had been here for almost an hour and still hadn't gotten to the only thing that Kara cared about – the cake. Danny was supposed to have met Joanne and Caroline at the train station tonight, but he had been delayed at Little Creek, so Kara and Alisha had picked the two women up instead. Unfortunately the train had been late, giving them just enough time to make it to the caterer's kitchen in time for their appointment. Caroline had immediately disappeared to find a coffee shop and had yet to reappear, presumably not overly interested in discussing the food for the wedding (something that Kara didn't fault her for in the least). Joanne, on the other hand, had been more than happy to sit in on the meeting. Upon learning that Danny and Kara were planning to have a number of food stations, as opposed to a sit down meal, Joanne had begun peppering the caterer with questions and the woman had been delighted to run through the entire proposed menu.

"Oh, yes, that makes perfect sense. Danny does like baked potatoes with his sour cream," Joanne replied with a knowing grin. Both Kara and Alisha laughed. Danny had a tendency to go overboard on the sour cream, slathering his potatoes in the stuff.

The caterer moved on to the next item on the list. "The final station is the meat carving station. We'll have prime rib and salmon."

"No pork or chicken?" Joanne gave Kara a glance. "Mark and I would be happy to help pay..."

"We appreciate the offer but this should be more than enough food." Kara cut the woman off. Joanne and Mark's repeated offers to pay for the wedding had become a sore point with Danny, who seemed offended by the suggestion that they (or more particularly he) needed financial help from his parents. He had agreed to let them pay for the rehearsal dinner since, as Mark pointed out, that was traditionally an obligation of the groom's family, but otherwise Danny and Kara were footing the bills themselves.

"And now the wedding cake."

_Finally_. Kara had been looking forward to this part of the meeting for the past hour. Both she  _and_  the baby were a fan of sweets. "I am most interested in the lemon mousse with vanilla frosting or the strawberry shortcake."

"I think we should try something with chocolate," Alisha added.

"What are you doing for the dessert bar?" Joanne asked.

Kara glanced over at Alisha, who shrugged. "What is a dessert bar?"

Joanne looked shocked. "A table with dessert options like cupcakes or cookies, as well as candy. Is that not a tradition in Kansas?"

"I've never heard of it," Kara admitted.

"People love them! It is a wonderful way to end a wedding." Kara took the caterer's gushing with a grain of salt. Such a late addition to the menu would not doubt jack up the price. Although Kara did have to admit that the idea sounded delicious.

"I agree that it is always a big hit. The nicer ones have various coffee options as well with those machines to make lattes and espresso," Joanne explained. "The guests are given bags to put candy and cookies home as their favor."

"We already picked the favors – snow globes." Alisha laughed. "It seemed rather fitting given how Danny and Kara met."

"How very …. sweet." Caroline's voice was faintly sarcastic but Kara forgave the other woman when she handed all of them drinks from the coffee shop across the way. The snow globes were a little cutesy, honestly, but Alisha had been so excited about the idea that Kara hadn't wanted to say no.

"A dessert bar would be nice," Kara commented, replying to Joanne's comment rather than Caroline. She turned towards the caterer. "Let me talk to Danny tonight and I will get back to you on that. And now I am ready to try that cake."

"Oh, just one other thing," the caterer replied, passing over a picture. "I received the pictures of the ice luge. I wanted to confirm that this is what you wanted."

"Perfect," Kara said, hardly looking at the intricate blocks stacked on top of each other. This request had been all Danny. Well, more likely it had originated with Berchem but either way, all that mattered was whether the thing worked and there was no way to tell that from a picture.

"What is it?" Joanna asked, puzzled.

Kara swallowed awkwardly. "Your pour alcohol through it to fill glasses at the bottom."

Caroline laughed at the look on Joanne's face. "Oh, Mom. Did you really think that Danny was going to stay sober at his  _wedding_? You are more naïve than I thought."

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By the time Kara dropped Joanne and Caroline off at their hotel it was after nine and she was exhausted. Planning a wedding in two month was overwhelming, even if Alisha had taken on the bulk of the work. Not that Kara regretted setting the date so quickly. If they had picked a later date they either would have had to postpone the wedding when Danny received his deployment orders or to settle for something simple like a visit to a justice of the peace. Given that neither option was appealing, Kara was glad that they had picked the date that they did. It was just that there were so many little details to handle. In the last week Kara had created a list of music to play at the reception for the DJ, picked flowers for the tables with the florist, filled out a detailed list of pictures she wanted from the photographer, and met with the caterer twice. And with Danny's team preparing to deploy, he had been unable to make most of the meetings. With so many things to do Kara had actually taken tomorrow and part of next week off. Since they weren't going to be taking a honeymoon right now, Kara had decided to put the vacation days that she had saved to good use.

"Hey sweetheart! Did you pick a cake?" Danny called she walked in.

Answering in the affirmative, Kara flopped on the couch. She heard the rustling of a bag of chips and opened her eyes to see Danny standing in the doorway.

"Long day? How did it go with Mom and Caroline?"

"Fine. Although if your mother has her way we'll double the food at the reception. She's dead set on having a dessert bar. The caterer is sending over an adjusted invoice and I suspect that it is going to be way over budget."

"What's the point of having other desserts when we already have cake? Don't bother changing anything. Mom will probably forget about it by tomorrow." Danny picked up the remote to snap on whatever game was on the television. Kara frowned. So much for a few moments of peace and quiet.

"Well, since you weren't there, you really wouldn't know either way."

That got his attention and he turned to her, brows furrowing as he muted the television. "Okaaaay." The word was drawn out as though Danny was testing the water. "Did something happen that I should know about?"

Kara took a deep breath. She knew that she was being unreasonable. Joanne had only been making a suggestion and one that was, in fact, a good idea. There was just too much going on right now. Being pregnant. Planning a wedding. Danny deploying. Kara felt like she hadn't had a moment to herself in weeks.

"No. Your mother was fine. I'm just ready for the wedding planning to be over."

Kara let her eyes drift closed and after a moment she heard the game come back on, although the volume was lower. She was starting to relax when the alarm on her phone beeped, reminding Kara that she and Danny were supposed to talk about finances before their meeting with the bank tomorrow morning – assuming that Danny still had the morning off. With Danny's departure only two weeks away, Kara needed to make sure that she had access to his accounts but she wasn't up for a discussion about finances right now. Discretely brushing away a tear, Kara stood and headed for the bathroom. She had just started running water for a bath when Danny appeared, lounging casually against the small vanity.

"Are you looking forward to seeing the girls on Saturday? When does Jennifer arrive again?"

Kara's bridal shower was Saturday afternoon, which is why Joanne and Caroline were here, and why Kara's closest childhood friend was flying to Norfolk from Kansas. Kara had been dumbfounded when Jennifer told her that she would be coming for the shower and the wedding, leaving behind her husband and three small children for the week. Although the girls had been thick as thieves as children, after high school their lives had diverged. Kara had been accepted to the Naval Academy and headed to Annapolis, Maryland, starting a new life in the Navy. Jennifer had stayed in Kansas, marrying her high school sweetheart two years after graduation, and starting a family. Although Kara and Jennifer had kept in touch, getting together when Kara returned to Kansas to visit her mother, they hadn't seen each other since Debbie moved to Norfolk almost two years ago. So even though Kara had been Jennifer's maid of honor six years ago, she had not expected Jennifer - who had never been on a plane before - to attend her own wedding. Kara was elated that her long-time friend had decided to make the trip.

"Jennifer arrives early Saturday but I won't see her until the shower. I am excited to see what Alisha has planned. Of course, I still need to find something to wear besides sweatpants." Kara's hand dropped to the small baby bump that she was now sporting. A bump that, while small, meant that the majority of her wardrobe no longer fit.

Smiling in a way that never ceased to make her heart race, Danny's voice turned coaxing. "Why don't you go shopping tomorrow. Alisha had the day off too. I'm sure she would love to go with you."

"We have to go to the bank tomorrow," Kara reminded Danny, trying to ignore the look he was giving her. "That's why you took a half day off."

He waved his hands. "We can take care of all of that stuff later."

Kara shot him an exasperated look. "We really need to get it done now. Next weekend is the wedding and then you are leaving. I don't want to be dealing with this the day before you deploy. What if there is a problem and I can't access your accounts while you are gone?"

"Okay, I got it. We will go to the bank first thing in the morning and then you can go shopping." Danny reached out to run his hands over her shoulders. "It will be fun."

"I have to meet with the coordinator at the reception hall at 1300. That's why I took the day off. There is just so much to do." Kara replied, leaning into the massage. She was just about to ask Danny whether he was interested in heading to the bedroom to give her a more thorough massage when he spoke again.

"Being so stressed out isn't good for the baby."

Eyes popping open, Kara jerked away from his hands, glaring at him as she pointed to the door. "Get out. Now."

Danny's eyes widened and he quickly began backpedaling. "I just meant..."

"Out!"

The moment that Danny was out the door Kara slammed it closed and turned the lock. Grumbling, she sank down into the bathtub.

Sometimes her future husband could be very, very irritating.

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By ten o'clock the next morning Danny and Kara had managed to take care of their business at the bank, which was a huge weight off of Kara's mind. She had been pleasantly surprised to learn that, despite Danny's tendency to buy lavish gifts, he had a significant amount of money sitting in savings. Danny had kept his living expenses low by splitting rent with Frankie and, after adding in the various bonuses he had received over the years, he had accumulated a nice nest egg. They might even be able to buy a house once Danny was back from Africa.

As they pulled up to Alisha's apartment Danny surprised Kara by stopping the car. "I thought you had to get back to work?"

"I took the day off. I decided that I will take care of the wedding stuff. You are going to go shopping with Alisha to find a dress." Danny brushed a piece of hair away from Kara's face, his hand lingering on her cheek. "I want you to enjoy this weekend with your friends and not spend the whole time worrying about the wedding."

Kara felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry that I got upset with you last night. Planning the wedding has really been fun for the most part. Alisha and I can meet with the reception coordinator. You don't need to do that."

"Does that mean you don't trust me to finalize the guest count? I'm hurt." Danny's fake pout was ruined by the sparkle in his eyes. "Besides, I already talked to Alisha. She has your itinerary for the day and it does not include any appointments."

"My itinerary?" Kara gave him a side glance.

"Trust me. You will love it."

And she did. The first item on Danny's itinerary was a meeting with a personal shopper who had already picked out several dresses for Kara to try on. Kara had been blown away by Danny's thoughtfulness, even after Alisha admitted that she had been the one to supply the woman with Kara's size and color preferences. Dress shopping was followed by lunch at a small café and then an appointment at a nearby spa for a massage and a manicure. By the time that Alisha dropped Kara off late in the afternoon, she was both relaxed and relieved to have something nice to wear for the shower.

Kara walked into the apartment to find Danny asleep on the couch. After putting her bags away in the closet, she curled up next to him, feet tucked her as she watched as his eyes blinked open. "How did the meeting with the reception coordinator go?"

Danny groaned. "Dear God. Why in the world does anyone care about what color napkins you use at a wedding? You just use them to wipe your hands. I said white but Caro vetoed that so I let her pick. She went with green. And then the woman wanted to know about covers on the chairs and table runners and whether we needed extra cake dishes and an impossible list of nonsense. It took forever!"

"I don't care about the color of the napkins either," Kara said with a giggle as she rested her head on Danny's chest, listening to the steady thud of his heart. "Although Caroline probably picked green because that is our wedding color. Dark green and silver. Alisha chose it."

"I guess I didn't realize quite how much work this whole wedding thing was," Danny admitted.

Kara hid a grin against his side. Apparently today had been productive in more ways that she originally realized. "One more week and then we never have to do this again."

"Thank God. If the wedding wasn't next week I would actually volunteer to be deployed. Anything to get me out of helping with the planning."

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Kara glanced around curiously as she followed Alisha into the room. Her friend had been incredibly secretive about the wedding shower and Kara hadn't known what to expect. The building they were in was a former factory that had been converted to a restaurant and they were currently standing in a private room overlooking the frozen river. The walls of the room were all the original brick that had been decorated with evergreens and a few silver bows, giving everything a sophisticated feel. Alisha had obviously aimed for a more refined event than Danny's bachelor party. Although Kara would give him credit for following the ground rules - there had been no hospital visits or arrests over the weekend and everybody, including Miller (who Kara had cornered upon their return knowing that he was the weakest link), had sworn that there were no strippers involved.

Kara anticipated that this evening would be much more restrained. Besides the fact that Kara herself couldn't drink, the group tonight would be small. In addition to Joanne, Caroline, Alisha, Sarah and Debbie, Kara was expecting only Jennifer and Ravit. Although Kara had plenty of friends, being pregnant and planning a wedding had made her realize how few of them were women, likely due to the fact that she worked mostly with men. Kara was already starting to worry about what she would do once Alisha shipped out again. There were some things that she just didn't feel comfortable talking about with a man.

" _Kara!_ "

Kara's attention was caught and drawn to her longtime friend, who she swept into a hug. "Jennifer! I'm so glad that you made it! How was the flight?"

"It was amazing. I am going to have to talk Mike into taking me on a vacation somewhere. Maybe Florida!" Jennifer grinned but her eyes were misty. "I've really missed you."

"I've missed you too. I was ecstatic when I saw your RSVP," Kara replied.

"Well I couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet your hot Navy SEAL. He looks totally drool-worthy in the pictures." Jennifer giggled.

Kara winked at her friend. "Oh, he's ten times hotter in person."

An hour later they were just finishing their pumpkin ravioli (a meal which Kara planned to replicate at home as soon as possible). As the plates were cleared, Alisha jumped up and pulled a box from under a side table.

"Okay, time for a game! I picked out a number of things that are special to Kara and I have wrapped them all up. I would like everyone to take a turn telling us how you know Kara. Then you will unwrap a box and Kara gets to tell us all about the item in the box."

Debbie stood, tears welling in her eyes. "I guess that I will go first. I met Kara on a hot summer night twenty-six years ago and to this day she is the only child that I know who actually arrived on her due date! Something that has not changed, I might add, Kara has always been completely and utterly punctual." Debbie paused while everyone laughed. "Since the moment she was born Kara has been my rock. I feel beyond blessed to have seen her grow up to be such an accomplished young woman and I am thrilled that she had chosen Danny to share her life with."

"I love you, Mom," Kara whispered as she hugged her mother, willing back tears as Debbie selected one of the silver packages at random and opened it.

Debbie laughed. "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who. Kara adored this book as a child. She would run around the house shouting 'Horton the elephant is going to be caged.' I imagine that she will be reading it to her own son or daughter soon."

"Ravit, you're turn," Alisha said as the laughter died.

"I met Kara only a couple of weeks ago. Green invited everyone from the training exercises to his engagement party and after hearing so many stories about Kara, I had to meet her to find out if she really was as much of a badass as Danny claimed. And she is. Kara is a total badass." Ravit unwrapped a gift, her face puzzled as she pulled out a purple sash. "What is a harvest queen?"

Kara flushed. She was pretty sure that Ravit would not find being a harvest queen to be badass. "Each fall in Kansas there is a big celebration with a parade and one girl gets picked to ride on the head float. She's called the harvest queen. Back in high school I was picked and I got that sash."

"Oh, yeah, Kara rode with Lucas McIntosh. He was the harvest king that year. She had such a crush on him and he asked her out that night!" Jennifer squealed.

"Really?" Alisha teased. "Who is this man and why have I never heard of him?"

"We dated for like a day," Kara muttered, suspecting that she was beet red. It had been a long time since she thought about Lucas McIntosh. Alisha gave Kara a measured look that clearly said she would not be forgetting about this topic.

Caroline stood next. "I met Kara at a restaurant downtown. I was  _supposed_  to be eating dinner with my brother but he spent the whole time on his phone talking to Kara so I finally told him that he could either invite her to join us or I was going to break his phone. He chose the former and she promptly ate his entire meal plus hers. In retrospect that probably should have been a clue about the news we got a month later."

"That was the night that I told Danny I was pregnant or, rather, he guessed," Kara explained. "Apparently my eating a hamburger was a pretty good clue for him. That and a few other things."

Caroline held up the small stuffed animal she had unwrapped. "Pretty sure we can all guess why a baby seal would be meaningful to Kara."

"My turn!" Jennifer bounced out of her chair. "I met Kara on the school bus on the first day of school. We were the only kindergarten students on the bus route and we sat together every day that year. We live in different states now and we don't see each other very much, but I will always remember that little girl from the school bus." She paused to unwrap a gift, pulling out a movie with a giggle. "Battlestar Gallactica. Does Danny know how much of a geek you are, Kara?"

"He does. In fact, he's more interested in space exploration and science fiction than I am. He's actually watched every Star Trek episode," Kara replied.

"If you look closely, you'll see that DVD actually belongs to Danny," Alisha explained with a wink.

Joanne stood next. "I'm Danny's mother and I can confirm that Danny has always been fascinated by space. I used to wonder why he didn't join the Air Force but, having met his lovely fiancé there, I am glad he made the choice that he did. The moment that he introduced me to Kara I knew that she was the perfect girl for him." She unwrapped the next gift. "Darts?"

"Oh! I know this one!" Caroline blurted out. Everyone turned to look at her. "Kara was playing darts the night that she and Danny met. She apparently kicked Burk's ass and Danny thought it was hot."

"Kicking Burk's ass is always a good thing," Ravit noted.

"How did you know about that?" Kara asked, surprised that Danny had shared so much with his sister.

Caroline shrugged. "Danny told Waldron and Waldron told me. It was at his bachelor party. Apparently Danny's much more talkative when he's trashed. That was right before he yelled at Berchem for saying that I have a nice ass."

"Men." Alisha rolled her eyes. "At least he didn't threaten to shoot him. That's what he did at the engagement party when Berchem grabbed Kara's ass."

"He didn't!" Sarah gasped.

"Oh, he did," Kara confirmed. "Berchem sent me flowers the next day as an apology. Of course, I wasn't the one that was pissed at him. I thought the whole thing was hysterical. It's Berchem. He grabs  _everyone's_  ass. He'd probably grab Ravit's if he wasn't afraid of getting his neck broken."

Sarah stood. "I met Kara through Alisha. I had just moved to Norfolk to be closer to Alisha but when the Nathan James docketed all Alisha wanted to talk about was this amazing friend she had made on board. I'll admit that at first I thought that Alisha was trying to replace me. But as soon as I met Kara she reassured me that all Alisha did for four months was talk about me! I couldn't ask for a better friend than Kara for either myself or Alisha."

"Oh babe! I didn't know that." Alisha reached forward to brush a tear away from Sarah's cheek, placing a gentle kiss on her girlfriend's mouth. "Actually the reason that I knew Kara and I were going to become best friends is because she spent four months listening to me complain about being separated from Sarah without killing me!"

"I love you ladies too," Kara said, standing up to hug both Alisha and Sarah.

Composing herself, Alisha turned back to the group, pulling a large t-shirt out of the final box. She held it up so everyone could see the white shirt with a SEAL logo on the front. "We had been on the ship for a week when Kara had a night shift. I came back to the cabin and found Kara asleep on her bunk, wearing this shirt. Which wouldn't be too unusual except it had gotten twisted and I noticed that it says 'property of Daniel Green' on the inside." Alisha flipped the collar inwards so everyone could see. "That was when I figured out that my bunkmate might know one of our resident SEALs a little more than she was admitting."


	9. Where Danny and Kara get Married

 

Danny leaned back in his chair, careful not to wrinkle his dress blues, taking another peak at his watch. The ceremony was scheduled to begin in five minutes and, as far as Danny could tell, Kara had not yet made an appearance at the chapel. Alisha had insisted that it would be bad luck for Danny and Kara to see each other before the ceremony. As a result, Kara, Alisha, and the female half of the guest list had disappeared from the rehearsal dinner rather early the night before. The corner of Danny's mouth curled into a smile. Caroline had refused to provide any details on what the ladies did after they left but, when pressed, had casually mentioned that Sarah had excellent taste in lingerie.

"Weddings never start on time," Mark said, catching Danny in the act as he checked his watch again. Four minutes to go. "Nothing to worry about."

"I'm not worried." Danny fought the urge to roll his eyes at his father's tone, the kind that you would use with a skittish dog. They all seemed suspicious of how calm Danny was acting. His father kept checking to see how he was doing and Caroline had pulled him aside to ask if he took a muscle relaxant this morning. Frankie and Cruz had taken a different approach and kept trying to ply him with beer which, to the astonishment of his teammates, Danny had declined. Not because he had sworn off alcohol (the conclusion that Berchem had immediately jumped to when Danny refused the first offer), but because he wanted to be fully present today. Danny wanted to remember every vow that was made, to recall every word that was spoken, to cherish every moment spent with Kara, and to treasure this time with their family and friends. He would need those precious memories in the coming months as he spent long days on patrol in the sweltering heat before crashing in his tent with Frankie and wishing, more than anything, that he could be back here with Kara.

Danny's contemplation was interrupted by his sister, who scooted into the room, slamming the door behind her dramatically. His friends gaped at the sight of Caroline wearing a strapless full length dress, slit up the side to her mid-thigh. Cruz was the first to recover. "You clean up very nicely, Ms. Green."

She scowled at him. "What did you think I was going to wear? A potato sack? It's a formal wedding."

"Did you need something, Caro?" Danny asked, not in the mood to listen to Caro and Cruz bicker.

"The Carltons are here," she whispered, shooting an anxious look in his direction.

"They were invited," Danny replied smoothly. Given that Joanne had invited half of Danny's hometown to the wedding it had seemed rude not to invite Rebecca's parents. Danny had known the Carltons since he was a preschooler and, despite what had happened between Danny and Rebecca, the two families remained close. Although Danny had been surprised when they accepted, he saw their decision to attend today (even though this wedding was most certainly not the one they had imagined) as an olive branch. Not just from the Carltons, but from Rebecca herself. The first step in creating a new relationship moving forward.

"But not Rebecca, right?" Caro asked suspiciously.

"Do I look stupid?" Danny asked, forgetting to whom he was speaking for a second.

"Yes. You do. You have the emotional intelligence of a flea, Danny." Caro smirked.

"Isn't there a rule that you have to be nice to me today? The whole getting married thing? Anyway, Rebecca is not attending. Just her parents. And, yes, Kara knows."

Caro gave him an exasperated look, pursing her lips, and Danny knew that she was restraining herself. "They arrived with a woman with long brown hair. I guess she is friends with Dennis. Someone said she was a scientist on your Arctic mission?"

"The ice queen is here?" Smith asked incredulously. All three of Danny's teammates rushed to peek out the door. "I didn't know you invited her."

Danny shrugged. "It was Kara's idea. The two of them had a nice chat last time they saw each other, apparently."

"But Captain Chandler is here," Cruz pointed out.

"And your point is?" Danny asked.

"The last time the two of them were together they got in some kind of fight," Burk explained. "Never seen the Captain so pissed. I hope you didn't put them at the same table."

There was a perfunctory knock before Master Chief Russ Jeter entered the room. "The bride has arrived gentleman. It is time to take your places."

As Danny approached the door, the Master Chief stopped him, waiting until they were the only two people remaining to speak. "You and Kara are both fine officers, Danny. More importantly, though, you are also good people. I am honored to be part of this day, to watch as you and Kara take your oaths to each other. I know that you will uphold them the same way as you have upheld the oaths that you swore to your country."

Danny clasped the offered hand, shaking it firmly. During his time on the Nathan James, Danny had gained a great deal of respect for the Master Chief, both professionally and personally, especially after learning of the tragic loss that the man had overcome. "Thank you, Master Chief. We are privileged to have you conducting the ceremony. I know how much it means to Kara to have you here today."

Minutes later, Danny stood at the altar, Frankie next to him, shooting uneasy glances at the back of the chapel where Kara had yet to appear. Before him sat his family and friends, Mark and Joanne, Caroline and Chris, Eddie and Amber, Tom and Waldron (with a rather young woman Danny didn't recognize), as well as several of his parents' friends from Cornwall, including the Wards and the Carltons (seated next to Doctor Scott). On the other side of the aisle Sarah, Jennifer, Ravit and Wolf sat with the crew of the Nathan James. Captain Chandler had attended, along with Commander Slattery and his wife, Commander Barker, and even Commander Garnett and her husband, evidence of the tight-knit nature of the Nathan James crew. Burk, Cruz and Nishioka, along with Berchem and Smith, were seated in the last row of the chapel, ready to take their places for the arch of swords at the end of the ceremony. Danny fought the urge to fidget, wondering what was delaying Kara, a tiny bit of doubt creeping in as his mind jumped to the horrible possibility of being stood up at the altar.

Although Danny thought he had kept his expression stoic, the Master Chief must have sensed his growing tension. Leaning forward he spoke calmly. "Kara caught her dress in the door and it tore slightly. Mrs. Foster is fixing it now."

Danny nodded slightly, trying to decide if the Master Chief's news was reassuring or more distressing. On the positive side, Kara hadn't changed her mind. On the other hand, she was most likely upset about her dress and Danny didn't want anything to put a damper on Kara's (or his) enjoyment of the day. Thankfully it was only another minute before Alisha appeared at the back of the chapel. As the Master Chief signaled to the pianist, Alisha began her slow walk down the aisle. Danny barely noticed, his eyes fixed on the doorway behind her.

At the first sight of Kara, everything else blended into the background, his entire focus on the woman gliding down the aisle, her gown fluttering around her, her hair loose and curling around her shoulders. He had never seen her look more beautiful. Her eyes glittered with tears and although she was smiling at him, he could see her grasping her mother's hand tightly. Breaking with tradition, he met her halfway down the aisle, paying no attention to the ripple of laughter that spread through the crowd. Taking Kara's arm, he leaned down to brush a kiss across her cheek. "You look stunning."

Pulling back, he offered his free arm to Debbie before escorting her and Kara to the front of the chapel. Tears streamed down both women's faces as Kara hugged her mother tightly. Threading his fingers through Kara's, they traveled the last two feet to stand before the Master Chief together.

Although Danny had planned to focus on every word that the Master Chief said, he found his attention caught by Kara to the exclusion of everything else. The way her eyes glimmered with tears as she said her vows. The way her breath caught when he slipped the ring onto her third finger. The saucy grin on her face when the Master Chief announced that he could kiss his bride. In what felt like an instant the ceremony was complete and they were leaving the church, Danny ducking under the arch of swords his – and Kara's – friends were holding.

As they reached the green outside of the chapel he paused to look down at Kara, realizing almost abruptly that they were actually married. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, she was his wife. "Hello Mrs. Green."

She turned to him with a teasing smile. "Now that is a name that I could get used to."

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An hour later, pictures complete, Danny and Kara arrived at the reception hall. From the crowd gathered around the entrance, drinks in hand, it was apparent that their friends had made themselves at home.

Eddie was the first to notice them, raising his glass in their direction and wiggling his eyebrows. "Took you long enough. Did you decide to make a detour on your way here?"

Danny ignored his friend, leaning down to give Amber a hug. "What is a beautiful woman like you doing with a scrub like him again?"

"He makes cute babies," Amber replied, smacking Eddie lightly on the chest.

"Okay, everybody inside!" Frankie began ushering the group inside. "It's time for Danny and Kara to make their official entrance."

"He's taking his responsibilities seriously," Danny whispered to Kara.

She bit down on her lip. "Last night I overheard Caroline tell him that she was going to hold him personally responsible if this wedding did not run like clockwork. I think it scared him."

"Poor bastard." Danny mumbled back.

Although Captain Chandler was no longer Kara's commanding officer, upon learning that Danny's commanding officer would be unable to attend the wedding due to their impending deployment, he had graciously agreed to introduce them at the reception. Both Danny and Kara had been secretly pleased with the way it worked out. Kara had developed a close relationship with Captain Chandler over the years and, despite serving under the captain for only a short period, Danny respected the man greatly. Captain Chandler was, in many ways, the type of man that Danny strove to become. A strong leader. A devoted husband. A loving father. A man who commanded the respect and admiration of his both his superiors and his subordinates.

"It is my pleasure to introduce Lieutenants Daniel and Kara Green." Captain Chandler waited until Danny and Kara came to a stop next to him.

"I have to admit that when I first met Danny almost a year ago I did not imagine standing here today. Although perhaps I should have. I recall the first time that I saw Danny, he was arguing with the Master Chief and Commander Slattery about whether Admiral Halsey would be allowed on to the Nathan James. My first thought was that our young lieutenant here was going to have to find somewhere to board his dog very quickly. You can imagine my surprise when I later found out that not only had Danny convinced the XO that Admiral Halsey should remain on board, but that he had also managed to convince the Commander that it was his idea in the first place." Captain Chandler paused until the laughter in the room died out.

"As Commander Slattery learned that day, Danny Green can be very persuasive. And I have been told by multiple members of my crew that from the moment Danny laid eyes on Kara, his goal has been to persuade her that she needed him in her life. Fortunately, Kara does not appear to have needed much persuasion. And while I am saddened to lose an excellent officer and sailor, at least in the short term, I am always pleased to see our Nathan James family growing. It has been an honor to watch these two young people pledge their love to each other today and I look forward to meeting Baby Green in another few months."

Captain Chandler picked up his champagne flute. "And on that rather lengthy note, I ask you all to raise your glasses and toast our newlyweds. A toast to love and laughter, and happily ever after. To Danny and Kara."

Kara snuggled into Danny's side as everyone in the room lifted their champagne flutes. The gentle click of forks against glasses grew to a swell and Danny twirled Kara around, her belly brushed against him as he leaned down to give her the requested kiss. Here, surrounded by friends and family, holding the woman he loved in his arms with their child snug between them, Danny had never felt been happier.

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"I noticed that your seating chart has Ravit sitting with Burk. Doing a little bit of matchmaking are we?"

Danny spoke softly even though the two people in question were several tables away. The main table where Kara and Danny were sitting had been rounded out by Alisha, Sarah, Frankie, and Smith. Berchem, unexpectedly, had brought a date, a young woman named Heather, and they were sitting with Wolf, Ravit, Burke and Cruz. Danny was slightly concerned that, without the rest of his team to rein him in, Berchem might do something stupid like grab Ravit's ass, but he was trusting Burk and Cruz to keep the other man in check.

"Actually, Ravit asked me to put her at the table with Carlton. Of course, she doesn't want him to know that. So don't tell him." Kara smiled slightly, clearly pleased with the outcome of that situation. "I think that we can leave that one alone. Ravit seems to know what she's doing. Unlike your sister. If she and Cruz spend any more time staring at each other when they think the other one isn't looking, they are going to burn holes in the back of each others heads."

Danny choked on the coffee he was drinking. "Caro and Cruz? I don't think so. Caroline hates him."

"If you say so." Kara daintily wiped her lips with the napkins that Caroline had selected. Danny would never admit it but the color did look nice on the tables. "If your sister really hates Teylor so much, though, why is she shooting death glares at the woman he is dancing with?"

Danny started to protest, but the second he saw his sister, he realized that Kara was right. The look on Caro's face as she watched Cruz and Heather dancing was nothing short of lethal. He suspected that his mouth had fallen open an unpleasant manner when Caro caught his eye, wrinkling her nose at him and tapping the bottom of her chin with her hand. God, Caro and Cruz. That was one he never would have seen coming.

Just then Frankie poked his side. "Ice queen warning."

Sure enough, Doctor Scott was weeding her way through the tables in their direction. She stopped for a moment at the table where Captain Chandler, Commander Slattery and his wife, Commander Garnett and her husband, and the Master Chief were sitting. There was definitely some tension among the group, although Danny wasn't close enough to hear what was being said. After a moment Doctor Scott continued in their direction.

"It was so kind of you to travel all of this way for the wedding," Kara said as she stood up to give the other woman a hug.

"It was the least I could do, given that I am the person responsible for the groom's deployment next week," Doctor Scott replied.

Danny and Kara exchange glances before looking at Rachel inquisitively.

"Danny and his team will be providing security for the CDC advance group searching for population zero of the Red Flu. When I put in the request for his team specifically, I was unaware of the upcoming nuptials. I'm glad that the timing worked out for all of us to be here."

Danny kicked Frankie under the table to make sure the other man was paying attention. Apparently they had been requested specifically for this assignment. That, in and of itself, was not necessarily unusual. However, the fact that Doctor Scott had the ability to make such a request, and that her request had been granted, suggested that the woman before them was much more important than any of them had realized.

"We hadn't been briefed on the particulars of the assignment yet, ma'am. But we will, of course, do our best to assist you in any way necessary." Danny could not shake a feeling of unease as he considered Doctor Scott's words. While he had been aware of some of the particulars of the assignment before today, he had not realized that they would be looking for the source of the Red Flu and he had to admit to a certain amount of nervousness about this particular assignment. Not because he was scared of contracting the Red Flu himself - he trusted that the vaccine he received would work - but because he could not quite shake his fear of somehow bringing this horrible disease back to Norfolk, of somehow exposing Kara and the baby.

His own death he could accept. He had no idea what he would do if something happened to Kara.

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Danny raised the piece of cake, pausing just before he reached Kara's mouth, pausing as though he were seriously considering smashing the cake into her face, notwithstanding the fact that Kara _and_ Alisha had threatened him with loss of life and limb if he ruined Kara's hair, makeup or dress. As he continued to wait, Kara's face settled into stern lines, a look she used to keep the junior officers in line.

"Worried?" He teased as he carefully fed her the tiny slice.

"Not at all," Kara replied sweetly before swiping a piece of cake across his cheek. When she was done she raised her fingers to her lips to lick off the remaining frosting, head tilted to the side as she watched Danny wipe his face. Once he was done Kara leaned up to press a kiss on his now clean cheek. "Feel free to get me back as soon as I am out of this dress."

Danny watched as she flounce away to find Alisha, wondering how early he could leave his own wedding.

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As the clock struck midnight, Frankie stood to give the last toast of the evening.

"In a few minutes Danny and Kara are going to be leaving for their honeymoon which, as most of you know, will involve driving five minutes down Main Street to their apartment since they both have to report to work on Monday. Unless, of course, Captain Chandler is willing to reassign them."

"Sorry son. That is not my department," the Captain called back.

"This is the first time I have been a best man so, as all good best men should do, I did a little research on my role. Apparently my first responsibility was to make sure that the groom showed up at the wedding. Well, Danny was there on time and appropriately dressed so I can check that box. Next I have to make sure not to lose the wedding rings. I see them there on Danny and Kara's fingers so I am going to check that box off as well. Finally, I have to give a speech. And that's where I ran into a few problems. Because all of the suggestions for giving a great speech suggest that you tell a story. Of course, that story has to be audience appropriate _and_ not result in the groom being fired. Unfortunately, that eliminated any story that you might be interested in hearing about Danny and Lieutenant Granderson refuses to tell me any juicy details about our bride. So instead of a story, I will leave you words that both our fair bride and groom – and any other Star Trek fans here with us tonight – know well."

Turning towards Danny and Kara, Frankie raised his hand in a Vulcan salute. "May you live long and prosper."

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As the car pulled away from the curb, Kara turned towards Danny, staring at him in the dim light. "After all of that insistence on having the perfect ice luge, you didn't have a single drink."

"The luge was for the boys. And they enjoyed it tremendously. Although they are going to be feeling it tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Berchem spends the remainder of the night in the bathroom and all day tomorrow apologizing to Heather. This might not have been the best idea for a first date."

"At least he was still conscious," Kara replied, her voice sad but resigned.

Danny flicked a glance in her direction. Although Danny and Kara had specifically instructed the bartender not to serve Debbie, Kara's mother had managed to locate an alternative source of alcohol. "I asked my mother to check Debbie out. She and Dad will make sure she gets home."

"Thank you." Kara paused. "Is that why you didn't drink tonight? Because of my mom? Because you don't need to prove to me that you can go an evening without drinking, Danny. You went five months without a drop on the Nathan James."

Danny reached over to grasp Kara's hand, his thumb rubbing across her palm. "Today was the best day of my life, Kara. I didn't need any alcohol to make it better."

Kara's grip tightened until Danny could barely feel his hand. "I love you Daniel Joshua Green."

"I love you more."


	10. Where Danny and Kara get Some News

"Are you sure you have time to take me to the airport?" Jennifer asked, stowing her suitcase in Kara's trunk before sliding into the passenger seat.

"Absolutely," Kara replied. She had gone in early this morning so that she could take an extra-long lunch, giving her just enough time to pick Jennifer up at her hotel, stop for a quick lunch, drop her friend at the airport, and make it back to base. "I can't believe that you have been here for over a week and we've barely had any time to spend together."

"You did have a few things going on," Jennifer replied. "Work, a bridal shower,  _a wedding_."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Kara laughed. "Where do you want to eat?"

They picked a small cafe just outside the airport, Jennifer updating Kara on her children's latest shenanigans as they waited for their salads to arrive. Now three, four, and almost six, Jennifer's boys were a source of both amusement and trepidation for Kara. Apparently they had spent the weekend collecting a variety of insects that they carefully packaged up to mail to Danny and Kara as a wedding gift. Kara could only be thankful that Kyle, Jennifer's husband, had realized what the package contained before dropping it in the mail. Although she was touched by the young boys' gesture, Kara had absolutely no desire to arrive home to a container full of dead bugs.

"I am so glad that I came," Jennifer said. "It was hard to leave the kids, of course, but I think Kyle appreciates me  _much_  more than he did a week ago. And the wedding was so lovely, Kara. You looked beautiful. Plus, all of those guys in uniform? It was better than a runway show."

Kara glanced enviously at Jennifer's ahi salad. Of all of the things that she had given up during her pregnancy, tuna had been the hardest. Ironic since Kara didn't especially like fish under normal circumstances. "I can't take credit for the wedding. It was all Alisha. She really could start her own party planning business. The whole day went off without a hitch. Well, except for my mother passing out. I should have known that she would find a way to sneak a drink."

Jennifer didn't respond, most likely because she couldn't think of anything civil to say. As a teenager, Jennifer had been a front seat observer to the worst of Debbie's excesses. She had seen first-hand the impact they had on Kara, spending numerous hours consoling her friend when (as she always did) Debbie fell off the wagon, and Jennifer's patience for Debbie's boozing had run out long ago. The day that Kara turned eighteen Jennifer had begged Kara to cut her mother out of her life, and could not understand why Kara failed to do so. Kara smiled grimly. She often thought that was the reason that she and Alisha had bonded straightaway. Unlike so many of Kara's friends, Alisha had not judged Kara's relationship with Debbie. Alisha had simply accepted the tumultuous bond between the two, probably due to her own complicated relationship with her mother.

Not that Amy Granderson was an alcoholic, of course, but her refusal to accept Alisha's sexuality had created a major strain on their relationship. A strain similar to the one that Debbie's drinking (and related behavior) placed on Kara and Debbie's relationship. And because of that, Alisha understood something that nobody else in Kara's life – not Danny, not Jennifer, not Burk or Nishioka or Cruz – did. Alisha understood why Kara continued to take care of Debbie, unable to let go of that final glimmer of hope that one day Debbie really would stop drinking. Because despite Amy's persistent denial of Alisha and Sarah's relationship, Alisha had that same glimmer of hope that Amy would one day embrace Sarah as her daughter-in-law.

"I do wish we had had a little more one on one time, though. I have no idea when I'll be getting back to Kansas," Kara added.

"Don't you worry about that," Jennifer replied. "I will come back to visit once the Junebug arrives. You let me know a good time and I will be here."

"I might take you up on that," Kara said, her voice suddenly more serious. "I am a little worried about how everything is going to work once the baby is here."

"You mean because Danny might still be overseas?"

"Exactly. And even if he is back, I don't know how long he will be here or what kind of hours he will be working. His schedule tends to be erratic even when he is on base."

Jennifer nodded. "I imagine it will be hard having him gone so much. But he's hot. And romantic. And totally in love with you. Which makes up for a significant number of other deficiencies."

Kara shook her head ruefully. Trust Jennifer to see the humor in the situation. Something Kara was having a tough time doing now that Danny's deployment was only a week away. "I do wonder about that sometimes."

"About what? Danny being hot? Because I can tell you that objectively he is  _fine_."

"No, not  _that_ , obviously," Kara said, giggling.

"Oh my God! Please don't tell me the sex is bad because, one, I won't believe you and, two, how could a man that hot possibly be bad in bed?"

"Jennifer!" Kara snapped, her face burning. Jennifer might be her oldest friend, but there were some things that just shouldn't be discussed. Vaguely Kara wondered if Danny talked to his friends about their sex life. Probably. Danny tended to tell his team everything. And Frankie had certainly been aware that Danny and Kara were up to no good back on the Nathan James.

"I'll take those rosy cheeks as confirmation that the sex is good." Jennifer smirked. "And I know the man is romantic. He sent you two dozen roses this morning, for goodness sakes! Pretty sure his 'love language' is gifts."

"Danny does like to make grand gestures," Kara acknowledged, lips curling as she thought about the gorgeous arrangement sitting on her desk and the note that accompanied them.  _To Lieutenant Green. Forever and always. Love, Lieutenant Green._

"You don't seriously doubt that he loves you, do you?" Jennifer's fork clattered against her plate. "Kara Deborah Foster, er, Green. You have to know how ridiculous that sounds. That boy put a ring on your finger in a New York minute."

Kara leveled a look at her friend, gesturing down at her baby bump. "And don't you think there may have been a reason why?"

Jennifer shrugged, picking her fork back up. "Lots of people have babies now without getting married. Danny wouldn't have married you if he didn't love you. And  _you_  wouldn't have married him if you had any doubts about that."

Kara considered Jennifer's words as she flagged down the waiter to order a key lime macaroon. The woman was half right. Kara didn't actually doubt that Danny loved her. She would never have married him if that were the case. But Kara also knew that the catalyst for Danny's proposal had been her pregnancy (despite Danny's insistence that the pregnancy had changed only the timing of the proposal, and not the fact of the proposal). In many ways Danny was an old-fashioned man. He had grown up in a traditional family and he had made no secret about wanting the same for his children. Danny was also practical, and they both knew that there was a very real possibility that he might not return from some future deployment. By marrying Kara, Danny had done everything he could to make sure that she and the baby would be taken care of if something were to happen to him. Kara took a big bite of her macaroon, trying to shake off her morose thoughts. "I think the pregnancy hormones are getting to me."

Jennifer's lips twisted. "Kara, take it from an outsider. You and Danny are made for each other. You act like you have been together forever. I would never guess that you dated for less than a year before getting married."

"Dated? Don't you mean met less than a year before?" Kara snorted. "But you're right. I feel like I have known him forever. I have told him things that nobody else knows. Things about my mom. Things about my childhood. I guess from the moment I met him I knew this was serious. And that scares me a little."

"Things haven't always been easy for you, Kara. I'm so glad to see that you found someone who is treating you right. I used to worry a little bit. You kind of go for assholes."

"Alisha said the same thing when she met Jeremy," Kara admitted with a chuckle.

"You have got to be kidding. Jeremy is back in Norfolk? Why?" Jennifer's face was a mixture of disgust and horror. Jennifer had never liked Kara's ex-boyfriend (Jeremy's refusal to accompany Kara to Kansas to meet her mother and friends had certainly not been a point in his favor), but Jennifer's vague dislike had grown to hatred when, after two years of dating, Jeremy had requested a transfer to San Diego without so much as consulting Kara in advance. She had learned of the transfer only when Jeremy began packing. After she confronted him, Jeremy had suggested that she also request a transfer, but Kara had been smart enough to see the writing on the wall. Jeremy's easy acceptance of their break-up had merely confirmed Kara's decision.

"I have no idea why he is back and I didn't ask." Kara had been taken aback to run into Jeremy the week before. When the Nathan James had departed for the arctic, he had still been in San Diego. "Alisha was with me so I introduced them and she made a point of telling him that I was getting married."

Jennifer leaned in conspiratorially. "Was payback sweet?"

Kara giggled a little at the memory of Jeremy's face. Even thought she had moved on long ago, there had been something … satisfying about the look on Jeremy's face when he learned that she was getting married. "More than I expected, actually. But we are working in the same building now, so we will probably run into each other on occasion."

"You said that you have a new assignment on base?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes, I've been assigned to headquarters. Doing paperwork mostly," Kara lied. She was actually going to be doing surveillance interpretation and analysis, but that was not information that she could share with Jennifer.

"And you'll be there until the baby is born?"

"I will be on shore duty until the baby is a year."

"You are going to stay in then?" Jennifer asked, a question that Kara seemed to face at every turn.

"I don't know yet." Kara bit her lip. "Danny hasn't said so, but I suspect he is hoping that I will leave the Navy once my enlistment is up. Being a dual military family is tough. Plus, because I am an operations specialist, most of the assignments are on ship. And Danny could easily be deployed while I am out to sea, which means that we will need to find someone to watch the baby while we are both gone. There is no way I would leave a child with my mother. And while I like Danny's parents, I barely know them. I don't know if I could leave a baby with them."

Jennifer tilted her head to the side. "Why does it have to be you? Couldn't Danny take a civilian job?"

"Danny broke up with his last girlfriend after ten years because he didn't want to leave the Navy. There is no way he is getting out and I don't want to create tension between us by asking." Kara sighed. "It just seems unfair that I have to be the one to give up the career that I have been working towards for the past few years."

Jennifer opened her mouth, hesitated and closed it again before changing the subject. "Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?

"Probably a girl. I thought that Danny would want a boy but he says that he really wants a girl. Of course," Kara added dryly, "what he actually said was that he wanted a girl  _first_. He assumes that we'll eventually have one of each."

"Did you tell him that you only ever planned on having one?" Jennifer asked, amused.

"Yes, and his mouth literally fell open." Kara finished up her macaroon. "We grew up very differently. I didn't mind being an only child. To Danny, that sounds lonely. He is really close to his sister and, despite the age difference, he and his brother get along well. I guess he imagines that our kids would be the same way. I told Danny that we'll see how the first one goes and decide then."

"Good luck with that." Jennifer finished the last of her salad. "That's how I ended up with three."

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Two hours later, and an hour after her extended lunch break had ended, Kara rushed into the office. Knocking on her new commander's door, Kara quickly explained that she had been stuck in a snarl of traffic resulting from a fatal traffic accident only two miles from the base. Knowing that Danny would not be home for a few hours and not wanting to fall behind, Kara stayed at her desk far later than usual. She was just finishing up the last of her paperwork when Commander Barker stopped by, catching her off-guard. There was no good reason for James Barker to be in this building after work hours, and there was certain no good reason for him to come by Kara's desk. Kara's mind jumped immediately to the worst case scenario.

_Something must have happened to Danny_.

But as soon as the thought came to mind she dismissed it. The Navy would never have sent Barker (who was not in Danny's chain of command) to inform her if something had happened to her husband. As Kara's initial panic faded, her concern turned to the crew of the Nathan James.

"Jamie? Is everything okay?" Kara asked, worry making her speak more informally than she normally would while in uniform.

"Captain Chandler's wife was killed in a car accident earlier today." Barker paused while the news sunk in. "Commander Slattery and I are trying to let the crew know before it hits the news."

Kara sank back in her chair. Darien Chandler. Kara had not known the woman well. She had spoken with her at a few events, as well as seen her each time the Nathan James departed or returned. But there had been no doubt that the Captain was devoted to his wife – to his family – often speaking of them, the love and pride in his voice unmistakable.

"Captain Chandler must be devastated," Kara said softly. As members of the armed forces, each one of them faced the possibility of dying when they left these shores. But nobody was prepared to lose those they left behind. They were supposed to be safe.

"Commander Slattery said that he was holding up as well as could be expected," Barker explained. "Commander Garnett will be setting up a fund for the Chandler children, as well distributing information about the funeral arrangements for those that would like to pay their respects."

Kara nodded solemnly. She knew that every available member of the crew would be at the funeral. In every way that was important, the crew of the Nathan James was a family. And like any family, they stood together through the good and through the bad. Two days ago they had gathered for a wedding, and Captain Chandler had welcomed Danny into the fold. Now they would be gathering for a much more somber occasion; to support their Captain as they said goodbye to another member of that family, Darian Chandler.

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"Is there any way you could wait just five more minutes?" Kara pleaded, knowing that her eyes were filling with tears. She watched as the receptionist pursed her lips and could almost see the "no" forming. "Please, my husband is deploying on Monday and I really want him to be here."

The woman's eyes softened slightly. "You are the last patient tonight so I can wait a few more minutes but that is all I can do. He is already fifteen minutes late."

"Thank you."

Slouching in her chair, back aching, Kara checked her phone again. Nothing. Still no answer to either her calls or texts. Shoving the offending object deep into her purse, Kara took a calming breath, rubbing her hand in a circular motion over her belly, soothed by the slight fluttering that she had begun to notice in the last week. With Danny unable to take any time off before he deployed, Kara had snagged the latest time slot possible for this appointment. Danny was supposed to have left Little Creek by five, giving him more than enough time to drive to Norfolk. Kara could not imagine what had delayed him, and her mind kept wandering towards the worst case solution, Darian Chandler's car accident still fresh on her mind.

A minute later, the door finally swung open, and Danny strode into the room. A tear rolled down Kara's cheek as she watched him approach, torn between relief that he was alive and aggravation that she had spent the last twenty nerve-wracking minutes worrying that he was dead.

"I am so sorry, sweetheart. I forgot my phone in my locker and didn't have time to go back to get it." Danny leaned down to press cold lips against her cheek and Kara noticed that he was filthy, his uniform and boots covered in a fine layer of sand and charcoal, although he must have taken the time to wash off his face and hands. He was also missing his coat and gloves and Kara suspected that they, like his phone, were sitting in his locker back on base.

Kara just nodded, reaching for his hand as they followed the receptionist into the ultrasound room. There was undoubtedly more to Danny's story but Kara didn't want to discuss work right now. This would be the last time that Danny would join her for an appointment and Kara wanted this moment to be about the baby, about them, about the family that they were creating. Apparently sensing her mood, Danny sat quietly as Kara lay down and adjusted her clothing.

"Are you ready to see your baby?" The technician asked, squeezing cold gel onto Kara's belly.

"Absolutely," Danny said, squeezing Kara's hand, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"It is a little early so no promises that we can tell the sex but…" The technician's voice faded as their baby appeared on the screen. Once the amazement of seeing the baby –  _her_  baby –  _their_ baby – Kara began laughing. Danny joined in as well.

"I take it that at this age babies do  _not_  have three legs?" Danny quipped.

"No, they certainly do not," the technician replied. "This guy made it easy for me tonight. Mr. and Mrs. Green, meet your little boy."

"A boy," Kara whispered, trying to take it in. "We're having a boy."

"I guess we are going to have to think of a new name. Elizabeth won't really work," Danny murmured as they watched the baby turn, doing flip after flip while the technician attempted to focus on his heart and other organs. After a few minutes she gave up, moving on to the baby's hands and feet, and then his face.

Kara gasped as the baby's profile came into focus, amazingly clear. "He looks just like you, Danny."

"He does, doesn't he?" Danny said, his voice reflecting the wonder that Kara felt.

The examination was over too quickly. After booking Kara for another appointment to re-check the baby's heart (since their little boy's antics had made it difficult to get a good look), Danny and Kara were on their way with a handful of pictures. Leaving Kara's car in the parking lot to retrieve in the morning, they headed home together.

"Are you disappointed? That it's a boy, I mean?" Danny asked.

"No. Just surprised. I really thought that it was a girl. You?"

"Kind of," Danny admitted. "I was hoping for a little girl who looked just like her mama."

Stretching across the car, Kara pressed a kiss against Danny's cheek. "Next time."

"So you've come around to the idea of having a soccer team?" Danny teased.

Kara leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. "Nope. Just decided that I need to even up the odds. I don't want to be outnumbered in my own house."


	11. Where Danny gets Deployed

A rustling sound invaded Danny's consciousness, rousing him from a deep slumber. Clinging to the last cobwebs of sleep, he rolled to his side, reaching for Kara, only to have his fingers scrap against a rough canvas wall. Danny's eyes popped open, entire body tensing until he remembered where he was.

West Sudan. A hot zone for the Red Flu. The location where Doctor Scott believed the current epidemic had originated.

They had been here for three weeks now, the SEALs' mission to provide security for Doctor Scott as she and her team rendered aid to the local population and attempted to locate the source of the virus, with the goal of stopping its spread – or mutation.

It was the later part of the mission that concerned Danny the most. When his team was chosen for this mission, the men had been assured by command that the virus was effective against the Red Flu, a statement that appeared to be backed up by Doctor Scott. So despite knowing that, without treatment, the Red Flu killed more than 99% of those infected, Danny had not been overly concerned about being sent to a hot zone. He had not been concerned, that was, until Doctor Scott dropped a bombshell. The virus had mutated. And while the vaccine Doctor Scott had engineered from the arctic strain appeared to be effective against the mutated version of the Red Flu, there was no guarantee that it would remain so.

Which meant that Doctor Scott's research continued.

And every morning Danny woke up reaching for Kara, his unconscious brain clinging irrationally to the hope that he would wake up in Virginia, strands of dark brown hair tickling his nose and cheeks, his arms encircling his wife's growing belly. Only to have his hopes dashed as he came fully awake and remembered that Kara was more than 6,000 miles away. Danny rolled onto his back, arm over his eyes as he tried to will himself back to sleep.

He hadn't expected this deployment to be so hard.

The daily work certainly wasn't the problem. Although this area of the Sudan was a conflict zone, the heavily armed humanitarian mission had faced no resistance – either due to the large amount of security (in addition to Danny's team, which had been tasked exclusively with guarding Doctor Scott, there were close to a hundred highly trained military personnel at this facility) or, more likely, the locals' fear of the Red Flu. Upon their arrival here, the first order of business had been to erect a large field hospital, complete with isolation units. And the patients had not followed far behind. Once word spread that the Americans could actually treat the Red Flu, the patients had poured in. The survival rate was still far lower than anyone would like, as the treatment protocol was only effective if begun within the first 24 hours after symptoms developed. But while the treatment was imperfect, it had given hope to the decimated population, and resulted in minimal resistance to their presence.

No, the work was not the reason that Danny was struggling with this deployment. The problem was that he had not been prepared for how taxing the separation from Kara would be. Naively, Danny had thought that this deployment would be no different than his prior ones. After all, he had been deployed while he and Rebecca were dating and, while he had missed her and looked forward to her emails and letters and the occasional call, he had been able to compartmentalize, to throw himself into his work, and the months away had quickly passed.

This time was completely different.

No matter how much Danny tried to fill his days, the past three weeks had dragged by. And while Danny waited impatiently for news from home, each email, each letter, each call was bittersweet, as he was reminded again and again of just how much he was missing. He had not been prepared for how difficult it would be to see the ultrasound pictures or to read about the baby kicking, knowing that he could not experience any of it in person. He had not realized how depressing it would be to discuss baby names with Frankie and Berchem and Smith, rather than Kara. He had never thought about how he would handle the emails from Caro and Alisha talking about Kara's baby shower and whether he wanted to attend remotely. He had not known how upset he would feel to learn second-hand from Burk that Kara had puked her guts out in the base kitchen after someone decided to microwave fish. And looming over all of it was the very real possibility that he wouldn't be home in time to see this baby –  _his baby,_   _their baby_  – make his way into this world.

Nope. Danny had not been prepared for this deployment at all.

Each morning when he woke, Danny gave himself a pep talk, reminding himself of the importance of this mission and attempting to block out the thoughts of Kara and the baby, knowing how dangerous it was for him to be distracted while on duty.

But if the goal was to remain focused, the world seemed to be conspiring against him.

Spending each day with Doctor Scott – Rachel as she had asked him to call her on multiple occasions – was a constant reminder of those intoxicating days in the arctic when he and Kara were in the first tentative phases of their relationship. After days spend in the lab, watching Rachel work, Danny found himself half believing that he was still on the Nathan James and that, when he walked through the door to the lab, he would find Kara on the other side. But, of course, she never was. There was no hope of catching her alone for a moment, of gathering her in his arms, of kissing her, or even catching a glimpse of her from across the room. The best he could hope for was a live chat over the computer which, due to the time change, had to be carefully coordinated to make sure Kara was home and awake when he called.

Danny checked his watch. 0715. It was later than he originally thought but, unfortunately, his shift today didn't begin until noon, giving him at least four hours to burn. Taking deep, calming breaths, Danny pictured himself back in Norfolk, curled up with Kara on their overly soft mattress that made he feel like he was being swallowed alive, the warmth of her head against his chest as she snuggled against him, one of his arms around her…

"Mail!"

Danny jack-knifed out of bed. Although most of his friends (and his brother) kept in touch via email or social media, Danny was also fortunate enough to receive a fair amount of snail mail. His parents wrote religiously – his mother mailing her letters on Saturdays, usually with a package of goodies, and his father on Wednesdays – just like they had throughout each of his prior deployments. Caro also preferred to send handwritten letters, adding cartoons and random newspaper clippings when she ran out of things to say. But what Danny was really hoping for was the package that Kara had mentioned should be arriving in the next couple of days. This would be the third care package Kara sent, in addition to her daily emails, and Danny was curious to see what she had included this time. The first box had contained beef jerky, hot sauce, jelly beans, baby powder, extra shoelaces (Danny had snapped one the first day here), and a couple books of Mad Libs that Berchem and Smith had immediately claimed ownership of. The second package had contained ultrasound pictures of the Bug, socks, sunscreen, rock candy, an external hard drive with several new movies and books, and dog treats for Halsey (thereby earning Frankie's undying devotion).

Yanking on a clean shirt, shorts and boots, Danny ducked out from the tent, Frankie on his heels. Frankie and Danny both had letters and Danny's package from Kara had arrived. More surprising, Berchem had also received a letter, which Frankie and Danny promptly appropriated.

"Come on, man, who is it from?" Frankie demanded, holding the letter up to the sun, attempting to read the contents through the envelope.

"Probably the IRS," Smith joked.

"The IRS doesn't  _handwrite_  addresses," Danny pointed out.

"And you know that how?" Berchem snarled as he snatched the envelope away from Frankie.

"Common sense." Dropping the package on his cot, Danny opened the letter from his mother. He quickly skimmed it for anything especially exciting. "Chris got into MIT. Mom sounds pretty excited."

"That's one of those fancy smart schools, right? Just our luck to get stuck with the dumb brother," Smith quipped.

Frankie reached over to smack him. "Watch who you are calling dumb or you'll be stuck doing overnight watch for a week."

"You going to admit who that letter is from now?" Danny asked Berchem, noticing that the other man had opened the missive while Frankie and Smith were fighting.

"It's from Heather," Berchem replied after a short pause.

"Heather? You mean girl you brought to Danny's wedding and promptly puked on? That Heather?" Frankie demanded, his voice incredulous.

"I didn't puke on her," Berchem replied, his annoyance clear.

"Fine. You just puked in  _front_  of her," Frankie corrected. "Why is she writing you?"

"Because she's nice," Berchem snapped. Danny caught Frankie's eye, giving him a look that quite clearly indicated that Frankie should drop the subject. It had taken months for Berchem to pull himself together after his divorce and his decision to bring a guest to Danny's wedding had been a huge step. If and when Berchem was ready to talk about what was going on with Heather, he would let them know.

"So what's in your box?" Smith asked, the other three men crowding around as Danny sliced through the thick tape.

This time Kara had sent cards and dice, new deodorant (which Danny planned to discretely give to Smith), gum, Gatorade mixes, several bags of candy, and an envelope marked "Open in Private."

"Oh, Danny finally got himself a naked picture!" Berchem practically squealed in excitement.

"Probably a picture of her belly. Kara's kind of sensitive about it." Danny said coolly.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder whether Kara  _would_  actually send him something like that. It was certainly common enough in the military – a way to remind the guys of what they had waiting for them at home – but Danny had never received one before. Since Rebecca was only tangentially involved in military life, she had been unaware of the practice until Amber, of all people, mentioned it one evening when they had been drinking. Danny had promptly informed Eddie that he did  _not_  want to know if Amber was sending her husband – fiancé at the time – dirty pictures. Once Rebecca's initial surprise had worn off, she had cornered Danny to ask what the guys did with the pictures and, more specifically, if the pictures were shared. When Danny admitted that some of the guys did enjoy showing off the pictures they received, Rebecca had denounced the practice, informing him that he would  _never_  get a naked picture of her. Danny hadn't cared. He didn't need a picture to remind himself of what Rebecca looked like and he certainly didn't want any of his friends seeing his girlfriend naked. But now…

_Shit_. Just the  _thought_  of a naked picture of Kara was making his libido go crazy.

"How much do you want to bet on that?" Berchem was the one to call his bluff. "What are you offering us to leave the tent, Green? How about those Jolly Ranchers?"

Despite the fact that Jolly Ranchers were, in fact, his all-time favorite candy, Danny tossed the bag over without question. At this point he was going to need a cold shower no matter what that envelope contained.

Sliding his finger under the seal, Danny opened the envelope slowly, not sure what he was hoping to see. And he had been right. It was a belly picture. But he had been wrong too. Because she  _was_  naked. Not that he could see anything obvious. The picture was in profile and appeared to have been taken immediately after Kara got out of the shower. Her hair was loose and falling over her shoulders. One hand held the camera, of course, and the other was resting on her now prominent belly, hiding the majority of her chest. On the back of the picture she had scrawled a note. "The Bug was dancing up a storm in the shower as we listened to Miles Davis and I thought of you."

Eyes closing, Danny could almost imagine himself there. He would have put his hands on her belly, still slick from her shower, feeling the baby kick as the trumpet swelled in the background. He could tell from the picture that Kara had been laughing at the Bug's antics, and she would have smirked up at him, biting down on her lip in that adorable way that always made him want to kiss her.

And he would have. Kissed her, that is. Kissed her, wrapping his arms around her as he walked her backwards towards the bed, uncaring of the fact that she was soaking wet and he was most likely about to make them both late for work. All he would have been thinking about was how beautiful she was. How amazing it was to feel their child moving within her. How much he adored touching her, being with her, loving her.

"Hey Green, you done whacking off yet?"

Danny's eyes snapped open and he carefully tucked the picture away in his box. He had no intention of letting anyone else see such an intimate moment. Grabbing his gear, Danny ducked out the door of the tent. "Like I said, a belly picture. I'm going to grab a shower."

"Guess you gave up that candy for nothing." Berchem smiled gleefully. "Don't worry, we saved you the green ones."

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Twenty minutes later Danny had just finished shaving when one of the Red Cross volunteers popped his head in the door. "Lieutenant Green?"

"Yes?" Danny asked, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Doctor Scott is looking for you."

That caught Danny's attention and he turned towards the young man. "Is there a problem?"

"No, not that I know of. She just asked me to find you and one of the soldiers said you were here."

Thanking the young man, Danny geared up before heading over to the field tent where Doctor Scott had set up her laboratory. She had been butting heads with Lieutenant Anders, the SEAL charged with overnight security for all of the medical personnel, since their arrival and Danny had been called in a number of times to smooth over disagreements between the two. Danny wasn't sure exactly when or how, but his role here had quickly been expanded to include playing diplomat between the medical personnel, particularly Doctor Scott, and the military personnel. Her willingness to agree to Danny's suggestions over Anders' had actually sparked a nasty rumor concerning the nature of Danny and Rachel's relationship, one that Berchem had mercifully quelled by breaking into fits of laughter when the question was posed to him, followed by several stories of the "Ice Queen's" treatment of their team in the arctic, which had made it clear that Doctor Rachel Scott was in no way interested in the head of her security detail.

But when Danny arrived the only person in the laboratory was Dennis Milowsky, who was sitting at his desk outside the hazmat area, reading a letter.

"Sorry to bother you, Doctor Milowksy. I understand that Doctor Scott was looking for me."

Milowksy jumped at Danny's voice. "Oh, Lieutenant Green. I didn't hear you come in."

"News from home?" Danny asked, waving his hand at the letter Dennis was holding.

"Yes, from Rebecca." There was a small pause. Although Danny and Dennis had fallen into an easy working relationship, a slight awkwardness remained when Rebecca's name was mentioned. "She says that your brother was accepted to MIT. Please extend my congratulations."

"Not that I can take any of the credit, but thanks." Danny grinned. "You get anything good in your box?"

"Box?' Dennis seemed confused by the question before he set his hand on the small package sitting on his desk. "Oh, yes, I needed more slides for the microscope."

Danny wasn't sure how to respond to that. Rebecca sent Dennis  _microscope slides_?

Dennis chuckled. "Rebecca also slipped in some socks and candy. I told her that care packages were unnecessary but that appears to run against the grain. Given how much mail you have received in the last three weeks, I am beginning to understand why. The popcorn was delicious, by the way. It was very kind of your hometown to send enough for all of us."

"The benefits of growing up in a small town," Danny replied. "Courtesy of the local boy scout troop. Any idea where Doctor Scott is? I don't want to keep her waiting."

"Rachel should be back in a minute but I can do the blood draw," Dennis replied, confusing Danny more.

"Blood draw? What are you talking about?"

"Didn't Ellis tell you?"

"Obviously not," Danny replied with as much patience as possible. Given Doctor Scott's concerns about mutations in the virus, all personnel – military and medical – was subjected to weekly blood draws. Danny's last draw had been two days ago, so a request for a second draw was concerning. "Is there a problem?"

"No. There's absolutely nothing to worry about, Danny." Doctor Scott breezed into the lab, her voice unconcerned, but Danny did not miss the pointed look she threw at Dennis. She slipped on a pair of rubber gloves and began prepping a needle as Danny pulled up his sleeve. "How is Kara?"

"Good. She had her second anatomy scan yesterday. The little guy cooperated this time, thankfully, and got a clean bill of health." Danny watched as Doctor Scott immediately placed a drop of blood under the microscope.

"Have you decided on a name?"

"Still working on it," Danny replied, although he could tell that Doctor Scott's attention was on the blood sample rather than the conversation. She waved Dennis over and they switched spots. "You going to tell me what is going on, Doc?"

Stripping off her gloves, Doctor Scott looked him in the eye. "Dennis noticed that your body was not producing antibodies to the virus like we would expect, which raised some concerns about the effectiveness of the vaccine against the mutating virus, but the issue is not the vaccine. It appears, Danny, that you may be naturally immune to the virus."

"And…." Despite having a doctor for a mother, a nurse for a sister, and a researcher for an ex-girlfriend, Danny had no idea where Doctor Scott was going with this, although he did know enough to realize that natural immunity was not a bad thing.

Doctor Scott smiled, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "And, if true, we might just be able to find a real cure for the Red Flu."


	12. Where Kara Gets a Gift

"Carlton! Long time no see. I didn't realize that you and Kara were still friends. You sure that her husband's okay with that? I hear he's the jealous type."

Kara would have rolled her eyes if she wasn't so busy trying not to vomit, inhaling slow breaths through her mouth and keeping her eyes averted from anything that might look remotely like fish. A goal made much more difficult by the fact that Jeremy was standing in front of her desk, his microwaved salmon at exactly eye level.

Three desks over Lieutenant Chien giggled, the sound like nails on a chalk-board to Kara. Chien's infatuation with Jeremy was obvious to everyone in the small department that Kara had joined a month ago (upon being transferred to shore duty due to her pregnancy), with most people assuming that Michelle and Jeremy were hooking up. Upon learning about the pairing, Kara had wondered whether she should warn Chien about Jeremy's less than stellar qualities, but had quickly dismissed the idea. Anything she said would merely be construed by Chien as the fabrications of a jealous ex-girlfriend and, given everything else going on in her life, Kara didn't need the drama. It had been awkward enough when Jeremy let the entire department know that they had dated; she didn't need anyone to think that she was still carrying a torch for him.

"Oh, yeah, Danny and I are tight. We did our last deployment together," Carlton replied casually, but loudly enough for anyone eavesdropping to catch, making it clear that there was no juicy gossip here.

"Really? Danny and Kara were both on that cruise, right?" Jeremy replied, his eyes gleaming as though he thought he might actually get some information out of Carlton.

"Sorry, can't discuss it," Carlton replied breezily. "Anyway, not to be rude, Harris, but you may want to move that fish somewhere else unless you enjoy being puked on."

Eyes darting between Kara and Carlton, Jeremy took a step back. "Swing by on your way out and we can catch up more."

"Sure, I'll do that." Carlton replied, although Kara knew that he was lying through his teeth. Besides being one of the most loyal people that Kara knew, Burk also had surprisingly old-fashioned standards for the treatment of women, standards by which he measured all of Kara's boyfriends. Danny had passed the unspoken test (although Danny had mentioned one hilariously awkward warning that Carlton had seen fit to issue when Kara and Danny first began dating). Jeremy had not.

Kara found it disconcerting to realize that she had dated Jeremy for twice as long as she had known Danny, and yet it was only after their break-up that she comprehended how self-centered Jeremy was. Of course, both she and Jeremy had spent a fair amount of their relationship deployed, but still, it made her question her ability to see people objectively. Jeremy had seemed like her perfect match at the beginning. They had both gone to Annapolis, graduating two years apart, and had met at a football game. Like Kara, Jeremy planned to go career and she had fully supported his ambition, never complaining when he worked long hours or took on extra work, and playing the role of the supportive girlfriend perfectly at the frequent social events that Jeremy attended (deeming them advantageous to his career). It was only later than Kara realized how one-sided the relationship had been – something that both Carlton and Jennifer had realized long before.

"Have I mentioned how glad I am that you kicked that guy's ass to the curb?" Burk grumbled from his seat next to Kara's desk.

Kara surprised a giggle, not wanting to sound like Chien. "Getting back to the matter at hand, you can't keep avoiding the topic, Carlton. Ravit is leaving and the two of you need to decide how you are going to handle that."

"There's nothing to handle. She lives in  _Israel."_

"Oh, yes, that's a huge problem because we  _never_  send ships to the Middle East," Kara retorted. "You could request a transfer to Europe. The two of you would only be a couple of hours apart by plane and you could meet up on your leave. It would take some coordinating but you could do it."

Carlton sighed. "I'm not sure Ravit is up for that much coordinating. Pretty sure she thinks this was a fling."

"Did she tell you that?" Kara narrowed her eyes at Burk. "Because from where I am sitting, Ravit seems just as into you as you are into her. At least ask her what she wants to do."

"I tried. She just laughed – didn't take it seriously."

"Then ask her again," Kara said firmly. "Look, you either like her enough to do something about it or you don't, Carlton. If this was just a fling for you, that's cool, but you need to be upfront about that to avoid any weirdness in case you run into her again in the future. And if you are interested in trying to make this work long distance, you have to find out if Ravit is on the same page. Oh, and before you tell me that I don't understand how difficult this is, let me remind you that my husband is currently more than 6,000 miles away and will be for the foreseeable future."

Burk opened his mouth to speak but was saved when one of the guards from the front desk approached with a vase filled with a dozen dark red roses. He hesitated before her desk. "Lieutenant Foster?"

Already smiling at the sight of the velvety petals, Kara nodded. "Thank you, Petty Officer."

"Is this a special occasion?" Carlton teased, nodding towards the bouquet that now took up a third of Kara's desk. It wasn't the first time Danny had sent her flowers, of course, but this was the first time he sent roses.

"No, no occasion." Kara replied hastily, hoping Carlton wouldn't notice the flush crawling up her cheeks. She had been disappointed – and more than a little embarrassed – when she opened an email from Danny the night before thanking her for the care package and complaining that Berchem and Smith had eaten all of his Jolly Ranchers, but making no mention of the picture that she had sent. Adding the picture had been a last minute impulse, born of her yearning to share the special moment with him, to include him in the wonder she felt every time the Bug moved, and it had only been later that Kara had considered how loaded her spontaneous decision had been. After reading the email she had been certain that sending it had been a mistake. Her first thought had been to send him an email trying to explain why she sent the picture – she certainly didn't want Danny to think she made a habit of taking or sending nude pictures – but ultimately she had decided to follow Danny's lead and not mention it. Now, though, looking at the bouquet before her, Kara wondered whether her reaction had been premature. Kara slipped the card out from the flowers, her smile flattening as she read the message.

"You gonna share or is it private?" Carlton teased. Without a word Kara passed him the card.

_To reunions with old friends. Looking forward to working together again. Jeremy_

"He cannot possibly be serious." Carlton sounded the same way Kara felt – flabbergasted. Sending flowers was bad enough but  _roses_? Kara suddenly recalled the way the flowers had been addressed – Lieutenant Foster, rather than Lieutenant Green. Oh, there was no doubt that Jeremy was out to cause trouble, Kara thought, a bitter taste filling her mouth. "Do you want me to have a talk with him?"

"Absolutely not," Kara hissed, before modulating her voice. "I can take care of myself, Carlton. Besides, the best thing to do is ignore him. He's an attention whore. Not getting a reaction will drive him crazy."

"What are you going to do with those?" Carlton asked, waving his hands in the direction of the roses as though they were filled with venom.

Kara considered what would happen if she attempted to return the roses to Jeremy. At the very least, it would alert their co-workers to the fact that Jeremy, rather than Danny, had sent the flowers. Kara had heard enough scuttlebutt to know exactly how quickly  _that_ story would spread and, in conjunction with the information that Kara and Jeremy used to date, how damaging it could be. Kara didn't need any suggestion of impropriety on her record, especially given the timing of her pregnancy. And yet, throwing away the flowers seemed so very wasteful… A slight smile crossed Kara's face as another idea occurred to her.

"You and Ravit have a date tonight, right?"

Carlton nodded in the affirmative.

"How does she feel about flowers?"

Ten minutes later Carlton was on his way with the roses and a reservation at a rather exclusive Italian restaurant thanks to Alisha, who had occasionally moonlighted as part of the catering staff and knew the owner, a man named Peter Anderson.

Twenty minutes after that, the same guard from earlier approached Kara again, this time with a square vase covered in thick leaves and filled with an explosion of tropical flowers – reds, pinks, violets, and yellows. He looked at her desk in confusion.

"The roses were delivered here by mistake," Kara lied coolly. "Lieutenant Burk handled it."

She waited until the man was gone to pluck the card from the arrangement now sitting on her desk – this one addressed to Lieutenant Kara Green – and she knew without a doubt that these flowers were from Danny.

_I could not imagine anyone more beautiful. I dream about you. - D_

Kara's eyes drifted shut, his words evoking recollections of her own dreams during the weeks since Danny's departure. Vivid dreams; dreams so intense that she would wake confused, uncertain of what was real and what was fantasy. Sometimes the dreams were innocent – she and Danny dancing or cooking or tossing around names for the Bug. Lately, though, the dreams had taken a steamier turn. Memories of hidden trysts in the Arctic replayed in her mind. Imagines of Danny lying asleep in their bed, his bare chest golden against the lilac sheets. Visions of Danny in the shower, water streaming over him as he hummed a tune. Dreams where Danny appeared home in the middle of the night and took her into his arms. Dreams so sensual that Kara woke up reaching for him, only to be met with an empty bed.

Kara blinked away tears as she snapped a picture of the flowers before her and emailed it to Danny.

_I dream about you too._

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"Why did I agree to do this trip with you?" Alisha moaned as she flopped into the car, immediately lowering the visor to block the sun that was just peeking over the horizon and slouching into the passenger seat.

"Because you love me?" Kara teased, passing Alisha the large coffee with about sixteen sugars that she had picked up on her way over to the apartment. "Oh, and because you were the one that talked me into this plan in the first place."

"Well, I didn't know it would include leaving Norfolk at four a.m.," Alisha sputtered. "One of the things I like about you is that you are not a morning person. That means I don't need to be one either."

"You'll thank me if we can get through D.C. traffic before the entire thing shuts down," Kara replied cheerfully.

Kara was by no means a morning person, but she had found some evil satisfaction in forcing Alisha to wake up at 4 a.m. (even if the woman did promptly fall back asleep in the car). After all, Alisha was the one who had convinced Kara that going to Cornwall, Connecticut to attend a baby shower thrown by Joanne and Caroline for Danny's extended family and friends was a good idea. Kara's first impulse had been to politely decline the offer. In addition to the discomfort of dealing with her in-laws without her husband, Kara had never met the majority of Danny's aunts and cousins, most of whom had been unable to travel from Connecticut to Virginia for the wedding, and Kara felt decidedly awkward asking people that she barely knew to give her gifts. Her uneasiness had only escalated when she found out from Caroline that, in addition to Danny's extended family, the shower would include Danny's high school friends, the church congregation, and Joanne's and Mark's co-workers at the hospital and school. In other words, practically the entire bloody town.

Alisha had been the one to talk Kara into accepting Joanne's offer. Alisha's reasoning had been simple. According to Caroline, this type of shower was the norm for Danny's family, and all that Kara needed to do was show up, suffer through the introductions (Caroline's exact words), and open a bunch of gifts. So while the afternoon might be tiring for Kara, there was minimal risk of offending anyone. On the other hand, if Kara refused to go, she ran the risk of alienating Danny's extended family before she ever met them. Altogether, it had left Kara with only one option. Going to Connecticut. Fortunately Alisha had volunteered to play her wingman, so Kara would have at least one ally at this event.

Two hours later Kara was negotiating Washington, D.C. traffic when Alisha finally stirred. Determined not to drive the entire way to Connecticut in silence, Kara spoke. "How did dinner go last night?"

"Mmmmmm…" Alisha muttered, eyes still closed.

Kara wasn't fooled. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

Alisha had spent the evening before having dinner with her mother, an event that even on the best days required a fair amount of fortitude. On an occasion like last night, where Alisha planned to raise a topic that Amy Granderson didn't care to discuss – Alisha's sexual orientation – the event required both determination and planning worthy of dinner at the White House.

Alisha sighed as she sat up in her seat. "Actually, I did. I told her that I was going to ask Sarah to marry me and that I wanted her to come to the wedding. She suggested that Sarah and I consider a nice vacation to the Caribbean until we get this 'experimental phase' behind us."

"She said that?" Despite herself, Kara was shocked. For all of Debbie's faults, Kara had never seriously questioned that her mother loved her. In Alisha's case, Kara sometimes wondered if Amy Granderson had feelings at all.

"Yup. Her exact words."

Kara knew that Alisha wouldn't want any sympathy, even though her heart was breaking for her friend. "Are you still going to do it?"

"Yes." Alisha was silent for a minute. "Sarah is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am not going to lose her because of my mother."

"Promise me one thing, okay?"

Alisha looked over, her expression curious. "What?"

Kara shot her friend a teasing smile. "Please do not get married before June. I don't want to look like a whale in my dress."

Alisha laughed and took a large gulp of her coffee. "That will not be a problem. I need way more than three months to plan."

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Dusk was falling when the two women finally pulled into the sleepy town of Cornwall, Connecticut. Alisha was driving and Kara took the opportunity to stare out the window, taking in her first view of Danny's hometown. Danny had described Cornwall to her in some detail, and seeing it now without him, each building new and yet strangely familiar, felt peculiar.

There was the high school he had attended. Kara smiled as she recalled how animated Danny had become while telling her how the chemistry club would raid the lab at the end of the school year and throw the leftover chemicals into the school's small, ornamental pond to create an explosion. They passed a large building with a moose statue in the front, and Kara was certain it was the fish and game club where Danny had first learned to shoot. There was the library where Danny had spent so many hours as a child, hours that he claimed had been excruciating boring, but his eyes sparkled with laughter when he told Kara about the varied excuses he had (mostly unsuccessfully) used to avoid going.

A deep longing for Danny swelled within Kara. She wanted him here to point out each building, to laugh with her as he told her silly stories of his childhood. She wanted him here to hold her hand as they entered the long driveway to his family's rambling colonial and to reassure her that everyone at the shower was going to love her. She wanted him here to give her the tour of his childhood home and flip through old photo albums together and talk about which one of them the Bug would most resemble. Kara blinked away tears as Alisha put the car into park.

Turning towards her, Alisha reached out to touch Kara's hand. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes." Kara squared her shoulders, brushing the tears away from her eyes before checking her reflection in the visor. "I just really wish Danny was here."


	13. Where Kara has a Baby Shower

Danny sat on the ground outside the field hospital, the light from the rising moon illuminating the camp before him, leaning against a tree. Not wanting Doctors Scott and Milowsky to know how woozy he was feeling after his most recent blood draw, Danny had claimed an urgent need to use the facilities and made his escape. He had made it as far as this tree before planting himself on the ground and radioing for Frankie.

"If you pass out I am leaving your ass right here and telling Doctor Scott," Frankie threatened as he passed Danny the jug of orange juice that he had snagged from the kitchen.

Over the past week Doctor Scott had been working all hours of day and night in the hopes that Danny's blood would provide her with the key to developing a more effective cure to the Red Flu. Two days ago she had emerged from her laboratory triumphantly, believing that she had a working treatment, but when administered to patients, the injection had seemed to make no difference. Doctor Milowsky had argued, rather convincingly to Danny's mind, that the patients given the new medicine, dubbed the "Green Dose" by most of the camp, were just too sick. Of course, that left the doctors in a quandary. The treatment that Doctor Scott devised prior to their arrival in West Sudan was generally effective if begun within twenty-four hours of symptoms appearing and the medical staff had found that roughly half of the patients receiving it within the first forty-eight hours were also surviving. To instead treat these patients with the Green Dose risked the very real possibility that, if the new medicine failed, people would die who otherwise might have lived.

Which is why Doctor Scott had immediately thrown herself back into her work and why Danny was out here hiding. He knew perfectly well that Doctor Scott would refuse to take any more blood samples if she suspected that he was feeling ill – and Danny refused to be the reason for any delay in the development of the cure.

"What time is it, anyway?" Danny asked. The baby shower that his mother and sister were throwing for Kara was in a couple hours (late evening for him due to the time difference), and Danny had been given strict instructions to be online no later than 2200 in order to make a remote appearance.

"2030. You ready to squeal happily over six million baby outfits that look exactly the same?" Frankie said with a smirk.

"They won't know if I am playing Solitaire on the sidebar," Danny replied, taking another swig of the juice and noting that his stomach had mostly settled.

"Beats me why you agreed to this charade anyway."

Danny smiled grimly. "Kara is stuck there in person. Making a video call seemed like the least I could do."

Having attended Green family events in the past, Frankie had a pretty good idea of how overwhelming Danny's extended relations could be. "Yup. You owe her big time for sucking it up and going up to Cornwall for this thing. Better start thinking about make-up gifts – non-baby related ones, that is. Berchem might have an idea."

Both men's attention was drawn by the sound of Anders' voice cutting through the quiet evening. "Stop! Arrêtez!"

The response, in French that was spoken too quickly for Danny to understand, obviously did not come from a member of their group. He struggled to his feet, his entire body snapping to attention. "Stay here in case you need to evacuate the Doc. I'll see what is going on."

Jogging around to the front of the building, Danny was met by the sight of Anders, Holmes, and Jackman holding their weapons on a middle-aged man holding a bundle. The man was waving his arms at Anders, his voice growing louder and louder, until Danny could make out in the jumble of syllables two words. Help me.

"What's going on, Anders?"

"Guy here is sick. He wants in but won't put down his bag. Jackman, get me a damn translator now!" Anders's voice was sharp, tense. Doctor Scott had been furious when she learned that the security guards were turning away patients arriving after sundown, and immediately put a stop to the practice. She had, however, grudgingly conceded to Anders' demand (backed up by Danny) that each individual be searched before they were granted entry into the hospital.

Although he hadn't used his high school French in years, a surprising number of words had come back to Danny since their arrival. How did you say bag? He approached the man. "Sac." He pointed. "Sac. Par terre." Bag. On ground.

The man looked at Danny, the tears in his eyes glittering in the moonlight. He began speaking again, the words a jumble to Danny. "Lent, lent, mots." Slow, slow words. Danny wasn't sure whether he was asking the man to speak slower or giving him a lecture on Catholic holidays.

Slowly the man raised one hand, keeping it where they could see as he pointed to the sack. "Enfant."

Danny looked towards Anders with dawning comprehension – and horror. "Oh my God! That's a kid."

"What?"

"Cover me." Danny walked forward slowly, his weapon lowered. While there was always a possibility that this was a trick, a means of getting the soldiers close enough to take them out, the look in the man's eyes seemed genuine. He was terrified. Not for himself, but for his child.

As Danny took the bundle into his arms, he was shocked by how light it was. Walking backwards, he peeled away the coverings to reveal a tiny face, the child no more than two years old, eyes shut, breath shallow, covered in welts. Danny felt sick. This child was well past the first twenty-four hours.

He looked at the man, desperately hoping that he was wrong.

"Malade…malade combien journee?" Sick…sick, number of days?

The man held up three fingers.

Time paused as Danny considered those three fingers. He knew what the translator would tell the man when he (or she) arrived. They were so sorry, but it was too late. There was nothing that they could do. The focus should be on reducing the child's pain, in keeping him comfortable and then giving his father a chance to say goodbye.

Damn it! He was not going to watch anyone else die. "I'm going to get Doctor Scott."

"It's too late, Green!"

Brushing past Anders, Danny headed towards the field hospital resolutely, ignoring the bustle around him as he headed to the lab where he had last seen Doctor Scott. This was a child. A baby. No different than the Bug.

They couldn't let him die.

Not when they might be able to save him. They could use the new medication, the one that Doctor Scott had been working on. She had said earlier that she was close, that this time she was certain that she was on the right path.

She had to be.

"Rachel! I need help!"

Rachel dipped under the plastic door of the tent. "Danny? What is going on?"

"You can't let him die, Rachel. He's just a kid. Just a baby. You have to help him."

He didn't care that he was babbling. He didn't care that his uniform was now covered in blood and pus and dirt. He didn't care that ten minutes ago he hadn't even seen the child he was holding. All he cared about was saving the boy. Snapping on her gloves, Rachel peeled away the blanket to reveal the boy more fully, noticing the advanced state of the virus.

"He's very sick, Danny. He may not survive even if the new dose works."

They stared at each other under the florescent lights.

"You have to try. Please."

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"Danny certainly was a handful as a child," the woman – one of Danny's seemingly endless number of female relatives – said as she offered Kara another sandwich roll. "Always off in the woods playing paintball or shooting cans. Joanne used to worry that he would turn out to be a bank robber."

At a loss for how to respond, Kara bit into the offered sandwich, giving a sigh of relief when Amber appeared. Alisha had been dragged away ten minutes ago to view the church organ, leaving Kara with only Caro as a buffer against the onslaught.

Amber smiled cheerfully. "Hi Mrs. Marcus. So nice to see you! Danny would make an excellent bank robber. Handsome, charming and good with a gun. Maybe it could be his second career? Although Kara here probably would not appreciate us giving him the idea."

"Oh, you kids," Mrs. Marcus replied, chuckling. Kara tried, unsuccessfully, to recall how the Marcus family was related to the Green family. Caro had given her a crash-course on their family tree last night but, frankly, Kara had been too out of sorts to take most of it in. When Kara originally saw the guest list, which had over a hundred names, she had been concerned about the number of people invited, but she had assumed that maybe half would attend. Learning that almost everyone had accepted the invitation had not put her in the best of moods. "Never taking anything seriously. How is your munchkin, Amber?"

"He's a ball of energy. He wears me out," Amber admitted.

Another woman approached. "Boys are like that. Do you remember that time that Danny told Uncle Donald that he couldn't take off his belt because his pants would fall down?"

Kara tried to imagine the circumstances that would result in such a statement. Caro leaned over to enlighten her. "Uncle Donald was old school. He was always threatening to hit us with his belt. He never actually did, of course, just threatened."

"Ah, those were the days," Mrs. Marcus said, her voice fond.

Kara pasted what she hoped was an amused smile across her face. During the last hour she had heard story after story of Danny's childhood and, while she enjoyed hearing the antidotes, she was also getting a little anxious. Danny had certainly been an active child.

"You'll figure it out soon enough," the new arrival was now saying. "Green children are nothing if not feisty. Did Joanne tell you about the time those two set fire to the house?"

Caro actually flushed. "Aunt Susan, that is not what happened!"

Kara turned to Caro with wide eyes. "You set the house on fire?"

"We were pretending to be pilgrims and built a hearth. The stones just weren't far enough away from the house. And we didn't take the wind into account. It was no big deal."

"True. The fire department got it right out and it only scorched the porch." Aunt Susan replied with a shrug.

Kara stuffed the entire egg sandwich she had been nibbling on in her mouth. Did they really think that setting fire to the porch was no big deal?!

Amber leaned over to whisper to Kara, "Follow my lead."

"Preggo needs a bathroom break," Amber announced jauntily, grabbing Kara's hand and tugging her towards the door. Kara waved a hand at Mrs. Marcus and Aunt Susan as she followed, her mouth still full of egg salad. Amber dragged her down a small hall and around a corner to what appeared to be a lounge.

"I thought we were going to the bathroom," Kara noted, perplexed.

"It's through that door over there if you need to go," Amber explained, pointing. "This is the mother's lounge. For breastfeeding or changing diapers or escaping noisy relatives."

A few minutes later, having taken advantage of the close proximity of the restrooms, Kara re-entered the mother's lounge. Amber smiled at her. "How are you holding up?"

"Everyone has been friendly and welcoming, but it is a lot to take in," Kara replied, sinking onto the couch next to Amber and propping up her feet. The light blue caftan style dress that Kara had chosen for the occasion was incredibly comfortable. The adorable matching gladiator sandals were not.

Amber laughed. "I remember! And you still have to open that mountain of presents."

Kara thought about the huge stack of bags lining one side of the activities room with dawning horror. For some reason she had imagined this being like a wedding, where she would open things at home, later. There was simply no way she could keep track of that many gifts.

As though reading her thoughts Amber added, "I will write everything down as you open it. You can look at it later to figure out who gave you what. I know that it is overwhelming but, if it means anything, everyone is ecstatic that you came. Danny's always been kind of their favorite. You showing up and listening to their stories means a lot to them."

Kara mentally made a note to thank Alisha later. Given Kara's severe shortage of relatives, it was comforting to think that she had made some inroads with Danny's large and boisterous, but also close-knit, family. She gave Amber a measured look. "You didn't grow up in Cornwall, did you?"

"Nope. Rebecca and I met as freshman in college and she introduced me to Eddie," Amber explained. "Why?"

"You seem to know everyone here," Kara observed.

Amber smiled. "It's a small town thing. You'll see after a couple years. Everyone you meet is connected to someone else so you go to enough events and pretty soon you know everyone."

"I hope so." Kara had no doubt that Amber's outgoing, friendly personality had a lot to do with it as well.

"How are you doing with everything else? With Danny gone, I mean."

Kara fiddled with her wedding ring "It's harder than I thought it would be. Everything was such a whirlwind with the baby and the wedding and now he's gone and I am adjusting again. How often was Eddie gone?"

Amber's face tightened slightly and Kara belatedly remembered that Eddie's last deployment had ended with him in the hospital. "He served a year in Iraq and then two months in Afghanistan before he was injured. Iraq was hard but I was still in college at the time so I kept busy with classes and the time went quickly. As for Afghanistan, well, that is a telephone call I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

Panic momentarily held Kara hostage. Caro had been unable to reach Danny via video conference earlier as planned. Kara knew that there could be a hundred innocent explanations for Danny's absence – communications might be down, Danny might have needed to switch shifts at the last minute, Doctor Scott might have needed his assistance with something. This assignment wasn't like Iraq or Afghanistan. Although the West Sudan was a conflict zone, they were there on a humanitarian mission and Doctor Scott would be pulled out immediately if there was a problem. Still, Kara could not shake her lingering fear that something horrible had happened, that while she was here chatting with his relatives and opening gifts that Danny was injured or even dead.

As though reading Kara's mind, Amber spoke again. "One good thing about the military. They might not tell you a single thing about where the guys are or what they are doing or when they will be home, but they'll let you know right away if something has gone wrong. They don't want anyone finding out bad news from the evening news. Which means that no news is pretty much always good news."


	14. Where Danny takes a Nap

"Get Dennis, now!" Rachel said authoritatively as she snapped on a new pair of gloves and picked up the little boy, moving toward the isolation units.

Heading in the opposite direction, Danny was halfway out the door when he ran into Milowsky. "Dr. Scott needs help, STAT."

Not sure what else to do, Danny trailed Dennis into the hospital room where Rachel had taken the child, two nurses already bustling around the room. He watched as they struggled to set up an IV, the little boy deteriorating before their eyes.

"Dennis, go to my work station and get the vial of the new antidote that we have been working on," Rachel said calmly.

"Are you sure, Rachel?" The room went dead silent; every eye turning to Dennis. "We only have a single dose right now and…well, the source material isn't indefinite."

In other words, at a certain point Danny would run out of bodily fluids to donate (assuming that they wanted to keep him alive, which Danny presumed was the plan).

"I know what I am doing, Dennis." Rachel replied.

Milowsky gave a sharp nod before turning and moving quickly towards the lab. A moment later he was back, injecting the precious medication into the line that Rachel had finally managed to insert into the little boy's thigh.

With everyone focused on the child, Danny took the opportunity to lean against the wall. Now that the immediate crisis was over and his adrenaline was dropping, he was starting to feel nauseous again. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, hoping the dots dancing before his eyes would disappear. This was not the first time he had pushed his body to the edge of his endurance. Delirium from lack of sleep. Body swollen from dehydration. Skin scorched after days lying prone in the desert. He had always managed to push through.

But dropping blood pressure seemed to be Danny's Achilles heel. As his vision went black, Danny felt his legs give out under him.

"Fuck, man!"

Opening his eyes, Danny got a perfect view of Anders' spit-shined boots.  _Shit_. Had he lost consciousness? He had no recollection of Anders entering the room.

"We need to move him into an observation room and get an IV started," Rachel was directing, her voice sounding far away even though Danny could feel her hand on his face and knew that she had to be standing right next to him. "Danny? Danny? Can you hear me?"

"I'm fine," Danny mumbled. They should be focused on the boy – not on him. But Danny wasn't sure anyone had heard him over Anders' protest.

"We can't let him leave this room. None of us can leave! What if that kid has some new strain of the virus and Green is infected?"

"He is not infected," Rachel replied, her voice exasperated. "He's immune to the virus. He can't be infected."

"And how do you know that for sure? Maybe he's not immune to this strain."

"It doesn't work like that."

Danny groaned, struggling to sit up. This type of standoff between Anders and Rachel never ended well. He was going to have to mediate before the two of them came to blows – or started waking people up in Washington DC to find out who had friends in higher places. Danny had no doubt that Rachel would win the contest – after all, she had gotten his team assigned as her personal bodyguards simply by asking – but doing so would require going over Anders' head and would hardly win her any friends here at the camp.

Which meant he was going to have to fall on his sword.

"Chill out, Anders. I'm fine." Danny managed to make the words come out slightly stronger this time. "My blood pressure dropped. It's happened before when I donated blood."

Milowsky looked away quickly, clearly trying to hide his amusement at learning that a tough Navy SEAL had passed out over a blood draw. Even Anders cracked a smile.

Rachel scowled at him. "And you didn't think to mention that fact to me, Lieutenant Green?"

Danny heaved a sigh. "Can we save the lecture for later, Doc? I promise to be a good boy and go sit on a bed and not move until you are done treating the kid. Then you can yell at me as much as you want."

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"This is the last one," Alisha said as she passed the gaily wrapped box to Kara.

Not wanting to appear ungrateful, Kara suppressed a sigh of relief. She had lost track of the presents that she had opened over the last hour (thankfully Amber was keeping a list) but, from what she could tell, the Bug now had everything that a baby could possibly want or need. Sitting on the table next to Kara was a mountain of gifts including baby clothes ranging from size 0 to 3T, bottles, pacifiers, pumping supplies, a lifetime supply of diapers, enough books to fill a bookcase, tons of rattles and toys, two different play mats, a bouncer, a weird shaped nursing pillow, a baby bathtub complete with a grooming kit and baby shampoo and lotion, a stroller, several homemade blankets, a personalized cross stitch for the nursery wall, a hand-painted night light, a homemade rocking horse, and an assortment of other things that Kara didn't recognize. Kara was fairly certain that she now owned every item available at Babies 'R Us.

Pushing through her exhaustion, Kara checked the card. She looked up at Joanne, puzzled. "You and Mark already bought us the crib and all of the bedding. You didn't have to get us anything else."

"This present is a little bit different. It is something that I saved for Danny. I had hoped that he could see you open it," Joanne explained, a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

"Do you want me to wait?" Kara asked, uncertain of how to proceed. Although Joanne had not said anything, Kara had no doubt that Danny's failure to call as planned was worrying his mother just as much as it was worrying her.

"No, no. I want you to have this today."

As she lifted the top of the box, Kara was greeted by the sight of a small baby blue jacket and matching pants, a tiny ruffled shirt, and a miniature bowtie made out of stiff blue velvet. Lying on top of the ensemble was a photograph. Lifting it, Kara realized that it was a picture of a very young Danny Green. He was perhaps two or three, standing next to a much younger Mark Green, holding a pillow with two ring, grinning.

"Danny was a ring bearer? And he wore this outfit?" Kara picked it up carefully, marveling at the idea of her hulk of a husband wearing something so small.

Joanne beamed. "Yes, he was the ring bearer at my youngest sister's wedding."

The woman in question chuckled as Kara struggled to remember the woman's name. She was pretty sure it was Linda. "I remember that day. Danny was so excited to dress up in a suit like Daddy."

"I thought maybe you could take pictures of the baby in it when he is a little older," Joanne explained.

Kara rose to give her mother-in-law a hug, ignoring the tears that rolled down her face. As a child, Kara had little connection with her father. Debbie had saved almost nothing from her short marriage – the memories too painful – and Kara's grandfather had not been the sentimental type. While cleaning out the farmhouse after his death, Kara had found only a single picture of her father and grandfather, a snapshot from her father's high school graduation. The two men had been standing outside the same high school that Kara herself attended, and Kara had later brought the picture to the schoolyard in an attempt to find the exact spot where the picture had been taken, as though some part of her father might still linger there. That lack of connection to her past, to her father, had left Kara feeling isolated, and her greatest fear for her own child was that history would repeat itself. Not only that the Bug would be forced to grow up without a father, but that he would never learn who his father was. As a person. As a man. As a father.

That their child would never know how much his father loved him already.

But as she hugged Joanne, Kara realized how unfounded her fears were. Because even if history did repeat itself and Danny didn't come home one day (a possibility that Kara knew, from personal experience, was all too real), their son would still have all of the people in this room to make Danny come alive.

"This is amazing. Thank you."

In almost perfect timing, the video-conference began to chime, signaling that Danny had finally decided to join them. A weight that Kara had not realized that she was carrying was abruptly lifted from her shoulders.

"That's my brother, always fashionably late," Caro drawled, earning a laugh from the crowd.

Wiping her eyes so as not to concern Danny, Kara reached down to answer the call. Hitting the connect button, Kara was unprepared to see Rachel on the other end, looking both exhausted and rather disheveled. Panic gripped Kara, her voice coming out far too high-pitched. "Rachel? Is Danny…."

"Danny's fine." Rachel interrupted. Rotating the laptop she was holding, Rachel revealed a full-dressed Danny Green flopped across a bed, his chest rising and falling regularly.

Kara stared at her husband, dumb-founded. Danny had missed the baby shower, had freaked out his wife – his  _pregnant_  wife – and mother,  _because he was asleep_? As Danny let out a snore, Kara demanded. "Is he  _sleeping_?"

Turning the laptop back to herself, Rachel brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Yes, well, it's a long story but there are two things that you need to know. First, Danny saved a life tonight. Second, he responds very well to sleeping pills."

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Danny's eyes popped open. The first thing that he registered was the beeping coming from somewhere in the vicinity of his head. Then, as he lifted his arm in an attempt to locate the source of the annoyance and turn it off, he discovered that there was a needle in his arm. An IV. Rubbing at his forehead, Danny noticed that his mouth felt clammy, as though he hadn't brushed his teeth in a week.

A quick glance around the room showed that he was lying on one of the hospital beds. Frowning, Danny stared at the ceiling. The last thing that he remembered was Anders dumping him on the bed and telling him to sit tight until Doctor Scott could check him out. He must have fallen asleep after that. And he must have been pretty out of it if he didn't wake up when they placed the IV in his hand.

"I see that you have decided to join us again, Danny," Rachel said serenely.

Danny was surprised by how heavy his head felt when he tried to left it off the pillow. His entire body felt sluggish, unlike the way that he usually awoke. "How is the boy? Did you find out his name?"

"Jean. His name is Jean. And he's holding his own. Which, given how sick he was, is amazing in and of itself," Rachel replied, her voice catching slightly.

Danny wondered how he could have ever thought Rachel cold and uncaring; an ice-queen as they had called her in the Arctic. "Does this mean we have a cure?"

"One patient is hardly a basis to support such a broad reaching statement," Rachel hedged before her face melted into a smile. "But I would say that this was a very successful trial."

Danny took a moment to savor the relief, the triumph. "How long have I been out?"

"About twelve hours," Rachel replied. "You were obviously pushing yourself too hard. I had the nurse give you something to help you relax."

Well that explained the groggy feeling, Danny had never responded well to sleeping aids. In that instant, Danny remembered what day it was. He checked his watch frantically before flopping back onto the bed, groaning. The baby shower. He had missed the damn baby shower. Kara was going to kill him.

"Are you feeling worse?" Rachel's voice was concerned.

"No," Danny reassured her. "I was supposed to be on a video call last night."

"Oh, yes, the baby shower. I let Kara know what was going on."

"You  _what?_ " All the breath left Danny's body. He could only imagine what Kara's response would have been if the Navy tried to reach her…

Kara was going to do more than kill him. She was going to flay him alive for scaring the living shit out of him.

"I got on the video conference and explained the situation to Kara. Your mother as well. Both were concerned initially but once I told them that it was simply a drop in blood pressure resulting from too much activity shortly after a blood draw, they both understood. It is actually a common phenomenon."

Danny stared at Rachel blankly. She told his wife and mother he missed the baby shower because he  _fainted_? God, he sounded like the heroine in a bad romance novel.

Blithely unaware of how emasculated Danny was feeling, Rachel continued. "While I was on the conference call Dennis and I were also able to share the results of your families' bloodwork. Your mother and both siblings are immune, suggesting that immunity is inherited and possibly a dominant trait. This gives us so many new research avenues. Your mother and sister have already agreed to a full work-up once we are back in the States."

Danny pretended to listen as Rachel continued to ramble. When Rachel finally stopped for a breath Danny quickly interjected. "Thank you, Rachel. For saving the boy. For saving Jean."

"I did what anyone else would have done," Rachel demurred.

"No, he'll live. Because of you. Because you took a chance."

If Danny didn't know better, he would have said that Rachel's eyes were misty. "I should go check on him. Make sure that there has been no change."

Rachel was almost at the door when Danny asked the question that had been nagging at him for months. "Why didn't you tell Captain Chandler about what you saw that night on the Nathan James? About catching me and Kara together, I mean. I know that you saw us."

Rachel smiled, a slow smile that broadened until her entire face glowed, although her eyes revealed a slight reticence, perhaps a glimmer of wistfulness. "I was young once too, Danny. I haven't entirely forgotten what it was like not to be able to keep your hands off someone."


	15. Where Kara gets a Surprise

Kara set the large box she was holding down on the counter while she waited for the mail carrier to finish attending to the customer before her. Although she had never been a huge fan of Easter (adults dressing in bunny suits was, to Kara's mind, creepy), Kara  _was_  a fan of the post-holiday sale on candy. The mass of peeps that she had stuffed into this care package should be enough to satisfy even Berchem's sweet tooth. Maybe then he would leave Danny's Jolly Ranchers alone.

Kara absently rubbed her back. Now thirty-four weeks pregnant, she had begun finding everyday tasks more and more draining. In addition to feeling out of breath after even the most minimal of exercise, Kara's back and hip ached constantly due to the baby's position, which put pressure on her sciatic nerve. Consequently, not only had she begun to waddle, but sleep had become more and more elusive as Kara spent the night tossing and turning in a futile effort to find a comfortable position.

But worse than all of the aches and pain and insomnia was the fact that she was huge.

In the past two weeks, Danny had asked four times for a new belly shot. But despite having taken picture after picture, Kara had been unable to find a single one where she didn't look like a beached whale. Kara remembered when Jennifer was pregnant. Tall and slender, the only physical change that Kara had noticed in her friend was the cute, round basketball that had appeared around her waist. From the back Jennifer hadn't looked pregnant at all!

Kara, by contrast, seemed to have gained weight everywhere. Arms, legs, even her face looked rounder now. Kara raised a hand to wipe her forehead. Because as if looking like a whale wasn't bad enough, she was also sweating like a pig.

As she chatted with the woman posting the package, Kara wondered, as she always did, whether this would be the last box she sent. Following the confirmation that the modified cure worked, Danny had been optimistic that he would be home shortly. That optimism had turned out to be premature, as the CDC decided to proceed on dual tracks. Dennis Milowsky had returned to the United States to head the team working to manufacture the new cure for broader use, as well as coordinate the ongoing research on the gene for immunity. Rachel, on the other hand, had remained in the Sudan to treat patients.

And where Rachel stayed, Danny stayed.

Dennis had actually reached out to Kara last week to ask whether she would give him permission to take a blood sample from the Bug following the baby's birth, something that he and Danny had apparently discussed before Dennis's return to the states. Danny had (prudently) told Dennis that the decision required Kara's input and consent, but what had struck Kara the most about her conversation with Dennis was the mutual respect and easy rapport that existed between he and Danny, despite both men's connection to Rebecca. Kara found being on the same team as Jeremy to be awkward, at best. She certainly couldn't imagine developing that sort of camaraderie with Jeremy's current girlfriend, Michelle Chien.

Leaving the post office Kara hung a right and headed towards the small cafe where she was meeting Carlton and Alisha for lunch. Early as always, Alisha was waiting outside and gave Kara a quick hug.

"How are you feeling?" Alisha asked, her words slightly too cheerful. Kara felt her cheeks heat. Two nights ago Alisha and Sarah had been on the receiving end of a rather hysterical phone call from Kara, who had been in the midst of trying to install the baby's new carseat and had determined that her inability to do so reflected rather poorly on her competency as a parent. One trip to the fire station (to install the carseat), two bottles of wine (for Alisha and Sarah), and a box of Godiva chocolate (for all of them) later, Kara was feeling much better but Alisha and Sarah had remained wary.

If there was anything positive about the incident, it was that Alisha had picked up the phone when Kara called. Otherwise she might have made the even more embarrassing decision to call Carlton, who definitely would not have known how to handle a teary and hormonal Kara, and would undoubtedly have told Danny about the meltdown.

"Better," Kara replied. "Sorry about the other night. I guess that was what the doctor was talking about when he said I might experience some mood swings."

"No biggie. Those firewomen were  _hot_." Alisha giggled, before adding, "I was glad that you called. It can't be easy going through all of this by yourself."

Kara acknowledged that with a shrug. It wasn't as if she had a choice in the matter. "Have you and Sarah talked anymore about what you want to do?"

Alisha wrinkled her nose. "Talked, yes. Made a decision, not even close. It's really tempting, you know, the thought that we could both be biologically related to a child. But, at the same time, we had agreed that Sarah would be the one to get pregnant. There is a lot more to figure out if I am the one to carry the baby, given my job. Thank goodness we have some time to decide."

Unlike Amy Granderson, who had yet to acknowledge her daughter's fiancée, Sarah's family had welcomed Alisha with open arms, thrilled that after four years together the two women were finally going to tie the knot. Upon the announcement of Sarah and Alisha's engagement, knowing that the two women wanted a family, Sarah's brother Adam had offered to donate his sperm. While both women had been moved by the generous offer, it had also forced them to reconsider their original plan.

Although Alisha had always wanted to be a mother, she had never cared about being pregnant. Sarah, on the other hand, wanted to experience the physical act of pregnancy and so the assumption had always been that Sarah would carry any children. But were they to use Adam's sperm, that would not be an option (barring IVF, a much more expensive and physically invasive process). Accepting Adam's offer meant, unfortunately, that Sarah would most likely never have the opportunity to be pregnant.

The other option that remained on the table was Sarah and Alisha's original plan, which was to use an anonymous sperm donor. That would give both Alisha and Sarah the option of carrying a baby were they to decide to have two. But it would also mean that only one of them would be biologically related to the child. It was a difficult decision.

"Well, if you want my input on the being pregnant or not being pregnant thing, I would go with not," Kara quipped. "Right now I am pretty sure that the Bug is going to be an only child."

Alisha regarded Kara thoughtfully. "Your situation has made me more aware of how hard it would be for Sarah to be here, alone and pregnant, while I was out to sea. If I were the one to carry the baby, I would be on shore duty throughout the pregnancy. We could go through everything together. That's a big consideration for both of us."

"I can image," Kara replied quietly, wondering what it would be like to have Danny here, rather than thousands of miles away. To have him go to doctor's appointments with her. To have him help set up the crib. To be able to talk to him face-to-face, or at least in real time, without having to coordinate it days in advance to account for the time change.

The two women grabbed a table while they waited for Carlton, who was running unusually late. They had just finished ordering when Alisha made a face. "Don't look now but asshole arrival at ten o'clock," she hissed from behind her menu.

Kara didn't need to look in order to know that Alisha was referring to Jeremy. He was the only person she used that particular tone with. "Is he alone?"

It was an unfortunate fact that there were a limited number of places to eat near the base, and since Kara and Jeremy worked in the same building and on the same schedule, they ran into each other much more frequently than Kara would like.

"Nope, the bobble head is with him."

Kara bit her lip to avoid snickering. She didn't dislike Michelle, but the woman did have an unfortunate tendency to simply nod and smile in agreement with whatever Jeremy said. Kara wondered if she had been that spineless when she and Jeremy were dating.

"Ladies," Jeremy's smarmy voice boomed across the room. "What a coincidence!"

"Lieutenant, Ensign." Kara kept her response formal even though they weren't on base.

"Kara, how are you feeling? You look rather uncomfortable."

Kara had been asked the same basic question a hundred times by a hundred people but hearing it come out of Jeremy's mouth made her want to hurl her lemonade in his face. As though she didn't already know that she looked like a sweaty whale, she had to have that fact reaffirmed by her ex.

"Just a little tired," Kara replied with forced cheerfulness. "I've been busy arranging the nursery."

"Well, if there is ever anything I can do to help, just let me know. Assuming your husband doesn't mind, of course. I know the two of you are still newlyweds and I wouldn't want to make him uncomfortable. Being that we dated and all."

Predictability Michelle giggled at the comment. Alisha rolled her eyes as she set down her menu, blatantly ignoring Jeremy. "Have you and Danny picked a spot for your baby moon yet?"

Kara almost fell off her chair when Michelle spoke. "You should go to the Caribbean. My brother and his wife went there for their babymoon and said it was super relaxing."

"I will have to consider that," Kara replied politely.

As Jeremy and Michelle moved along to their own table, Kara turned to Alisha with a scowl. "There is not a chance in hell that I am going to the Caribbean. Just the thought of wearing a bathing suit in public makes me want to die."

"What do you need a bathing suit for?" Carlton asked as he finally appeared, looking rather pleased with himself for a man who was ten minutes late.

"I'm trying to talk Kara into planning a get-away once Danny is home," Alisha explained. "They never had a honeymoon and once the Bug arrives they'll be too busy. And too tired."

"I wouldn't worry about a bathing suit," Carleton said as he sat. "Pretty sure the only thing that man will be thinking about is getting you naked."

Kara scowled again. Damn she was in a bad mood. "You have seen what I look like, right Carlton? Because I'm pretty sure that if Danny saw me naked right now he would be begging to go back to the Sudan."

Alisha, who had been laughing, stopped and reached out to touch Kara's arm. "Oh, honey, that is just the hormones talking. You are an adorable pregnant woman. Right Burk?"

Carlton arched an eyebrow at them. "Pretty sure that anything that I say right now is going to get me in trouble, so all I will say is that the guy hasn't gotten laid in months. He isn't going to scare easily."

Kara wasn't sure whether to be mortally offended or amused by the idea that Danny would be so desperate for sex that he wouldn't care that his wife had turned into a whale. "What's up with you anyway? You were ten minutes late for lunch."

"I was waiting on a delivery but it was delayed," Carlton explained vaguely. Kara could tell that he was being deliberately evasive. One of the tougher parts of no longer being a part of the Nathan James' crew was not being privy to all of the need-to-know information. Of course, Carlton was no longer a member of the crew either, making them both outsiders.

"Are you officially off the James?" Kara asked.

"Yup. I'll be on shore duty until the transfer is finalized," Carlton replied.

"What did Ravit say when you told her?" Alisha demanded.

Carlton chuckled. "She was stunned into silence. I guess she didn't really believe that I would do it. Of course, talking to Ravit was a cakewalk next to my mama. She was  _not_  happy to find out that I would be moving even further away. She's demanding that I bring Ravit home for the holidays so the family can vet her."

"Marion is going to love Ravit," Kara replied confidently.

"Ha, she's still devastated that you married someone else," Carlton countered. "Actually, she suggested that you join us for the holidays as well."

Kara blinked at Carlton, surprised but pleased by the offer. "Danny will probably want to go to Connecticut if he's home but if it's just me and the baby I might take you up on that."

"It's going to be so different on the Nathan James with both of you gone and Captain Chandler taking a shore assignment," Alisha said mournfully.

"It's weird to think of the James without Captain Chandler," Carlton replied. Kara nodded. She understood why the Captain had chosen to request a new assignment following his wife's tragic death, not wanting to leave his children for such long periods, but the idea of the man riding a desk felt completely out of place to Kara. Out of all of Kara's commanding officers, Captain Chandler was the one who seemed the most at home out on the water.

"Have you heard whether Slattery will be the next CO?" Kara asked.

"No word yet and we ship out in less than two weeks," Alisha replied. "I think a lot of people are getting nervous that someone new is going to come in and really shake things up."

"I'm sure it will be fine, A." This time it was Kara's turn to reassure Alisha. She winked at her friend. "Think of it this way. With so many new faces you might get a hot bunkmate."

But Alisha wasn't paying attention to Kara, her wide eyes instead fixed on the entrance to the café. Nonplussed, Kara turned to find out what had caught the other woman's attention, only to have all the air in her lungs leave in a rush as she caught sight of the tall, sandy-haired man standing just inside the door.

_Danny._


	16. Where Danny Comes Home

The email from Carlton was short and to the point. Danny had been interested to learn that Lieutenant Carlton Burk was very knowledgeable about the ins and outs of moving people located in conflict zones, and made a mental note to have a little sit down with the man to find out just where he had picked up that particular skill. Because it wasn't heading the VBSS team on the Nathan James, that was for sure.

Closing the email, Danny skimmed the remainder of his messages to see if there was anything that required his immediate attention. One from his brother, inquiring about ROTC, which Danny flagged to answer later, a couple from friends, and one from his mother asking him, once again, if he would be home for the baby's arrival and whether she and Mark should make plans to travel to Virginia. A bit guiltily, Danny deleted the message without replying. He couldn't bring himself to outright lie to his mother, but he also couldn't tell her the truth. She would definitely slip and tell Kara and then all of this planning would be for naught.

Berchem had been the one to suggest the idea, actually, joking that Kara would fret from the moment that Danny told her he was coming home until the moment that he actually arrived, and a surprise arrival would save her the stress of planning a homecoming. Although Danny found the idea that Kara would fret about anything, much less his homecoming, to be highly dubious, the suggestion had stuck with him. He had impulsively reached out to Burk, who had taken less than a day to get back to Danny with a detailed plan to surprise Kara.

Danny opened the message from Kara last; his disappointment when he noticed that there was no attachment tempered by the fact that he would be seeing her in person in less than forty-eight hours. The note was short and typical of Kara's daily messages. An update on the Bug, who was gaining weight and moving constantly. A description of her meeting with Alisha and Sarah and the wedding planner (who Alisha had hired but didn't trust to make any actual decisions, amusing Kara to no end). A funny story from work. A warning that his mother had called, annoyed that Danny was ignoring her messages.

What was conspicuously absent was any mention of Kara's difficulties installing the infant carseat, a story that had been relayed by Alisha to Carlton and by Carlton to Danny.

Danny checked the time-stamp on the message. 2242. It had definitely been sent after the "Kara turned exorcist" incident, as Burk had coined it. Danny chewed on his lower lip as he reread the message, but there was nothing here to indicate that Kara's evening had been anything other than a quiet night at home. Danny knew what Kara would say if he asked her what happened. The same thing she had told him when Burk unwittingly spilled the beans about the trouble that Jeremy was causing at work. She would say that she didn't want to worry him. She would say that she was fine, that Carlton had blown things out of proportion. That Danny had more important things to worry about. That she had taken care of the problem.

What she wouldn't say, but what they would both know, was that she hadn't told him because it would make him feel guilty – and sad. Guilty because he hadn't been there, and sad for the same reason. Because he wasn't there to help her with any of it – going to appointments and decorating the nursery and putting together the crib and installing the carseat. Because of how much he was missing.

Each day he was away, Danny felt another prick to his heart until had become a constant ache. He had missed events before, of course, holidays and weddings and graduations, but he had never before had such a feeling of loss, of regret. A feeling that he was missing out on critical moments in life, ones which he would never be able to replicate.

"Is there a kink in the plan?" Berchem asked, interrupting Danny's thoughts. "You look like you just ate a lemon."

Danny glanced over. He had almost forgotten that he wasn't alone. "Nope, Burk came through."

"No picture from Kara?" Berchem guessed, as usual far too well-informed about Danny's personal business thanks to Frankie's meddling.

"Nope." Danny didn't bothering trying to evade the question. Steve could be relentless when he wanted.

"Hmmmmm."

Berchem was giving him the look. The one that told Danny he was an idiot. Danny braced himself. "What?"

"Not wanting to send a picture, that's a bad sign, man."

"Nah, it's no big deal," Danny protested, even though his thoughts had been going in that direction as well. "She said that they are all too dark or blurry. She doesn't want a bad picture floating around on the interwebs."

"Or she's pissed at you about something and not telling you," Berchem predicted.

"Kara isn't Missy, Steve. She isn't into that passive-aggressive crap," Danny snapped.  _Shit._  As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Danny regretted them. "Sorry, man, that wasn't cool."

"Nah, you're right," Steve sounded calm, but Danny wasn't fooled. Any mention of Melissa, his ex-wife, was enough to darken Berchem's mood for days. "I screwed up my marriage. Guess I'm a little jaded. Don't want to see the same thing happen to you."

Danny didn't respond immediately, not wanting to stick his foot in his mouth any more than he already had. Berchem had not been what Danny would consider a model husband, but he also hadn't been a bad one. He had loved his wife, had supported her through graduate school, had even been faithful. And from what Danny had seen, Missy had loved Steve back. There hadn't been any one incident that ended their marriage. Rather, the deployments, the separation, the daily grind had simply gotten to be too much. Who was to say that the same thing wouldn't happen to him and Kara? That in five years he wouldn't be in Steve's shoes, the only difference being that there was a child (or maybe two) to take into account?

Doctor Scott picked that moment to walk into the communications room, unusual as she had her own sat phone, saving Danny from one uncomfortable conversation and immediately throwing him into another.

Berchem's face it up. "Hey, Doc, you're a woman."

"Last time I checked," came the dry reply, but Berchem wasn't deterred.

"So what does it mean if your wife refuses to send you a picture that you ask for?" Seeing the dismay on Rachel's face, Steve hastened to add. "Not a dirty one. Just like a normal picture. That's bad, right?"

Rachel's eyebrow lifted as she eyed the two men. "Am I to assume that said woman is pregnant and is, perhaps, having trouble getting a picture that she likes because, perhaps, she's gained a bit of weight and none of her clothes fit and her fingers are too swollen to wear her wedding ring anymore?"

Danny couldn't help but wince at Rachel's biting tone, which told them in no uncertain manner what she thought of the question. Berchem actually blushed, something that Danny wasn't sure he had ever seen before, mumbling in response. "Forget I asked."

Rachel winked at Danny. "Certainly."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny gave a brisk wave to the guys as he jogged towards Burk's truck. Throwing his bags into the back, he nodded to Carlton. "Sorry we're late. I owe you one, for all of this."

Burk wasted no time pulling out of the parking lot. "No problem. This way we don't have to worry about running into Foster early. Just to warn you, she's been a little ... unpredictable ... recently."

"Yeah, I got that impression."

"Food seems to help. That's why we're meeting at a restaurant. Just in case she doesn't take the surprise well," Burk explained. Danny was amused by how cowed Burk sounded.

"That bad, huh?"

"Makes a guy think he never wants to have kids," Carlton muttered, making Danny wonder what else he hadn't heard about.

Twenty minutes later they pulled up before the café where Burk had arranged to meet Kara and Alisha. "Give me about ten to get the ladies settled before you come in. I want to make sure Foster isn't in the bathroom or something."

"Sure," Danny replied, shrugging. What was ten minutes when he had been waiting months to see Kara again?

_It was the longest ten minutes of Danny's life._

The seconds dragged by as Danny sat in the truck, staring impatiently at his phone, willing the time to change. Kara was behind those doors, only meters away, completely oblivious to his presence here. Danny closed his eyes, imagining her sitting at the table, chatting with Burk and Alisha. But the image remained blurred, out of focus, as Danny tried to picture what Kara looked like now that she was so much further along. When he left she had still been at the stage where she could hide her baby belly behind a baggy top and loose pants. That was no longer the case. He brought to mind the most recent picture that he had seen – one from a spa day that Alisha had organized. Kara had been leaning back in a lounger, wearing a reddish blouse that pooled over her growing bump, her hair curling around her shoulders. It was the only time he had seen her with her hair curled, a look that she apparently sported only on rare occasions, and Danny had found it unsettling that he barely recognized his own wife.

Finally the appointed time arrived and Danny entered the crowded cafe, his eyes drawn straightaway to the table where Kara sat, her head turned away from him as she spoke to Alisha.

_God she was beautiful._

Kara was glowing, her mahogany hair swept back from her face, giving him a clear view of her delicate cheek and neck. Her hand rested on her rounded belly, rubbing tiny circles in an unconscious manner. As he watched, frozen in place, Kara reached out to touch Alisha's arm, emanating an air of calm.

Alisha caught sight of him then, her eyes widening, and Danny watched as Kara turned to find the source of her friend's preoccupation. As their eyes met, her look of mild curiosity transformed into astonishment and then utter joy as he wound his way through the crowd.

"Danny?" Tears pooled in her eyes as she whispered his name, the word a question, as though she didn't believe that he was actually standing before her. One trembling hand lifted to touch his cheek. Wrapping his arms around her, Danny pulled Kara to him gently, holding her like she was made of glass, fearful that he would somehow harm her or the baby.

"Hi sweetheart," he whispered into her hair, the familiar scent of her shampoo filling his lungs.

"You're here," Kara replied, her voice wobbling as she cupped his face, drawing him down for one kiss and then another, longer, more assured. He could feel her shaking and realized that she was crying.

Tugging her tighter, cradling her head against his shoulder, Danny was rewarded by something poking into his lower abdomen. Something that kicked. As comprehension struck a shocked laugh escaped Danny and he dropped a hand to Kara's stomach. "Was that the baby?"

Kara's face lit up. Brushing tears from her face she reached down to take his hand, shifting it slightly on her belly, and he felt the movement again. Danny stood, oblivious to everything around him as he stared at Kara, awe-struck. "I can feel him. Our baby. He's moving."

"He recognizes your voice," Kara explained, her hand still clasping his against her stomach, as they stood gazing at each other as their little boy kicked and stretched. "He knows his daddy."

It was Burk's chuckle that brought Danny back to the present, reminding him that they were, in fact, in the middle of a public place. He had been so wrapped up seeing Kara, in feeling the baby, that he hadn't been aware of anything else. A glance around the restaurant showed him that nobody appeared to be upset, the majority of the patrons smiling at them, a few even clapping, the only exception being a couple in the far corner.

"So am I excused for being late, Foster?" Burk asked, mock seriously. "I thought you would approve of the package I was waiting for."

Kara turned towards Burk, punching him in the arm, before flashing him a million watt smile. "You schmuck! You've been sitting there chatting about Slattery while Danny was  _outside waiting?_ "

"I can't believe the two of you pulled something like this off," Alisha added, giving Danny a tight hug. "How long has this then in the pipeline?"

"If you ever want to pull off a surprise, Burk is your man," Danny replied, giving credit where credit was due. "I casually mentioned the idea and the next thing I know he had it planned down to the last detail. He even managed to get Kara the afternoon off by roping in Barker. Only kink in the plan came when our flight back was delayed because Doctor Scott needed to repack some of the samples last minute."

The waitress who had been hanging back finally approached. "Would you care to order anything, sir?"

Kara glanced at him, a question in her eyes. But as much as Danny wanted to leave right now, to head home, to have Kara to himself for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, practicality won out. Kara should eat and, for that matter, so should he. Besides, after all he help that Carlton had given him, he and Alisha deserved better than being ditched five minutes after his arrival.

Danny pulled out Kara's chair. "What's good here, Burk? I'm starving. No Bacon this time around so everything was pretty much inedible and Frankie forgot to pack rations for the ride home and whined so much about it that I gave him what I had left somewhere around Germany."

As Burk ordered, Danny scooted his chair next to Kara, sliding his arm around her shoulder and pressing a kiss against the sensitive spot behind her ear, buoyed when she shivered in response.

Ignoring the repressive frown that Kara shot him, one that didn't match the jubilant expression on her face, Danny looked to Alisha. "I will probably regret asking this, but give me the update on the wedding plans."


	17. Where Kara gets a Life

Kara leaned into Danny's side, her eyes drifting shut as she luxuriated in the sensation. She had almost forgotten how solid he was, how relaxed she always felt in his presence. Sitting here, seated as close as the restaurant chairs would allow with Danny's arm slung along her shoulders, Kara felt enveloped by him. He made her feel safe, secure, protected – completely at peace with the world. Danny turned his head, smiling at her as he pressed a gentle kiss against her temple. His gaze dropped to her bulging belly.

"Are you sure you had enough to eat?" He asked, his deep voice tinged with concern.

Kara felt her face heat. She had been starving, something which Danny had picked up the third or fourth time that her stomach rumbled while they waited for their food to arrive. But, as was the norm these days, she had only been able to finish a few bites of her salad. Danny, on the other hand, had polished off his roast beef sandwich and bowl of chowder as though he hadn't eaten in days. Which, now that Kara thought about it, was probably not far off given that Danny had shared his MREs with Frankie for most of the trip home.

"Give it an hour, then she'll want ice cream," Alisha commented. "She always wants ice cream. I think she goes through a pint a day."

"Should we stop on the way home and pick some up?" Danny asked seriously, his free hand stroking Kara's shoulder and sending pleasant little shivers through her.

"Of course not," Kara replied quickly. "Alisha is exaggerating."

She ignored Alisha's raised eyebrows. She was not going to ask Danny to spend his first day home running to the store for ice cream – probably the most clichéd pregnancy request ever. Besides, Kara had at least half a container left in the freezer. She had taken to buying the gallon tubs so she wouldn't run out.

"You ready to go, then?"

Danny's voice was perfectly neutral, but the glimmer in his eyes and slight curve at the corner of his mouth told Kara what he was thinking about. She swallowed, suddenly acutely aware of how much her body had changed since Danny left, wondering what he would think of her new cetacean-like figure. Wondering how he would react to the changes.

"Let's go," Kara replied. No point in avoiding the inevitable, she supposed.

Danny stood and helped Kara to her feet. His hand dropped to her stomach, a transfixed look on his face as he, once again, felt the Bug move. Kara couldn't tear her eyes away from his face, his expression one of wonderment, total amazement that they had created a little person who was even now making his presence known. In that instant, everyone around them faded away and Kara thought her chest might explode from happiness.

The beautiful moment was, unfortunately, shattered by a sharp cough behind them.

Kara hoped her annoyance didn't show as Danny turned towards Jeremy, who was standing with his hand outstretched. "Sorry to interrupt but I wanted to make sure to welcome you home, Lieutenant Green. Will you be staying stateside for a while?"

"Thank you, Lieutenant..." Danny's voice trailed off, although he did shake Jeremy's hand firmly – very firmly if the way Jeremy was wincing was any indication.

"Lieutenant Harris – Jeremy Harris," Kara inserted before Jeremy could respond. "We work together, along with Ensign Chien."

"Always nice to meet some of Kara's co-workers." The polite but uninterested tone in Danny's voice suggested that he had no idea who Jeremy was or why he was talking to him. Of course, Kara knew perfectly well that Carlton had filled Danny in on the awkward situation at work, which meant that Danny was being deliberately obtuse.

And it was annoying the hell out of Jeremy.

"Oh, Kara and I go way back. Actually, we used to date," Jeremy added, leaning forward as though he were disclosing sensitive information, earning a scowl from Carlton and an eye-roll from Alisha.

"Huh. What do you know, small world. Well, hope you enjoyed your lunch. Maybe we'll run into you again one of these days."

Kara fought to keep a smile off of her face. She wasn't usually one for this type of game, but it served Jeremy right for being such a pain in the ass.

"We were just on our way out," Kara added before Jeremy could form a retort. She turned to Carlton. "I'll call you later but… _thank you_. This was the best surprise ever.

Danny followed Kara as they exited the café, her lower back tingling as he rested his hand there to guide her through the tables. "Where are you parked?"

The instant they left the café's air conditioning, sweat began forming on Kara's face. As she waddled across the parking lot towards her car, she felt her earlier sense of rightness evaporate. Danny looked so perfect, as though he had walked right out of a GQ Magazine, and she looked so, well, pregnant. Fat and pregnant and sweaty.

"Do you want to stop and pick anything up?" Danny asked as he adjusted the driver's seat for his much taller frame.

Kara moped at her face as discretely as possible, resisting the urge to ask him to find a better air conditioned for her car. Danny didn't need to listen to her whining about the heat when he had been dealing with much worse in the Sudan. "No, I'm good."

The ten-minute drive to their apartment was both too long and too short. Danny's hand gripped Kara's, his thumb rubbing back and forth across her palm rhythmically as Kara played the voicemail that Joanne had left that morning, asking Kara to kindly have Danny call his mother sometime before she expired from old age.

Danny was laughing as he pulled into their parking spot, turning off the engine and circling the car to open Kara's door. After helping (well, pulling) her to her feet, Danny didn't step back as Kara had anticipated. Instead he pinned her between his arms, pressing her against the car as he bent towards her, grinning. Kara's heart skipped a beat. She could never resist that smile.

"I wanted to do this the second that I saw you," Danny murmured just before his mouth touched hers. Delicious shivers ran down Kara's back as their lips met and clung, all the longing from months of separation, night after night spent dreaming of each other, poured into a single kiss.

Kara's arms rose to encircle Danny's shoulders, pressing closer. She had almost forgotten the amazing, heady feeling that engulfed her anytime they were together. Spearing her fingers into Danny's hair, Kara rose to her tiptoes to deepen the kiss. God, she had missed him, had missed this. And Danny seemed to be feeling the same way, one arm now wrapped around her waist like a steel beam while the other cupped her head, bending it gently back as the embrace went on and on.

The slamming of a car door brought them both back to the present, reminding them that they were in parking lot. Kara giggled as Danny straightened, grabbing her hand and tugging her impatiently towards the exit. Immediately out of breath from the quick pace that he set, they were almost the stairs before Kara realized where Danny was headed.

"I can't make the stairs anymore," she explained, embarrassed by the admission. She had started taking the elevator two weeks ago, after her ankle swelled to the point that the doctor had ordered an ultrasound to check her for a blood clot and then told her to lay off on the exercise.

"No problem," Danny replied. But instead of diverting to the elevator, he simply swept Kara up in his arms, continuing up the stairs as though he was carrying nothing heavier than a bag of groceries.

"Danny!" Kara squealed, embarrassed that he was literally carrying her up the stairs. Halfway up the second flight they passed the woman from apartment 4C, who laughed at the sight.

"Welcome home Danny!"

"Put me down before you break your back," Kara ordered as they hit the second floor.

"You barely weigh anything," Danny replied, although Kara noticed that he was slightly out of breath. Instead of setting her down once they reached their apartment, as Kara had anticipated, Danny simply stood there, waiting for Kara to unlock the door before kicking it closed behind him and carrying her towards their bedroom. As Danny set Kara down on the bed, she expected him to join her, but Danny's attention had been caught by another piece of furniture.

Kara struggled to a seated position rather ungracefully as Danny ran his hand along the wooden rail of the crib that Mark had made for the baby. His hand lifted, touching one of the tiny animals dancing on the mobile that they had chosen together, one of the few items they had purchased before Danny's deployment.

His voice was quiet, thoughtful, almost sad when he finally spoke. "I wish I had been here to help Dad build the crib. He built mine, you know."

A lump formed in Kara's throat. "Joanne told me. But there is still a lot to do. I haven't even attempted to put together most of the toys. The closet is full of boxes."

"But you've done all the big stuff. The crib. The changing table. The carseat." From the way Danny's gaze flickered towards her, Kara knew that he had heard the carseat story from someone, probably Carlton.

"Your parents did a lot of it," Kara answered truthfully. "Your entire family has been so helpful. So generous. Even Caroline has been less…"

"Bitchy?" Danny suggested.

Kara gave him a repressive glance before she laughed. "Less  _difficult_  recently. She made the Bug a personalized photo album. She just needs to add his name and birth stats."

Danny picked up one of the dozens of tiny outfits that Kara had received at her shower in Cornwall, his eyes focusing on everything except for her. "I'm sorry you had to do so much by yourself, Kara. I wish that I could have been here."

Tears welled in Kara's eyes at Danny's quiet statement. Because she felt the sadness, the anxiety, that underscored the words. The worry that she would hold his absence against him. The apprehension that things would be different after months apart. The fear that their marriage would crumple under the separation, like so many of their friends' relationships had done. Kara moved until she was standing before Danny, cupping his face in her hands so he couldn't look away.

"I know that you wanted to be here. But that isn't how your job works. I know that because it's not the way my job works either. I can't say that it will always be easy, because it won't. But we can make it work. We can."

"Have I told you recently how beautiful you are?" Danny asked, reaching over to smooth a strand of hair away from Kara's face.

Kara scoffed. "I think you have been in the field too long. Did you miss the fact that I am eight months pregnant and hobbling around like an invalid, Danny?"

The corners of Danny's eyes crinkled as his mouth curved, but the intensity of his gaze never wavered. "Nope, didn't miss the fact that you're pregnant. It just makes you more beautiful. You're glowing, sweetheart."

"That's the sweat," Kara muttered.

"No, it isn't." Danny wrapped his arms around her. "It's happiness. I know because that's how I feel when I look at you. Seeing you carrying our baby, watching him move, it's incredible. All I can think about is how gorgeous you are. How amazing. And how much I love you."

Tears slipped down Kara's face as the aches and the pain and awkwardness that came with being eight months pregnant faded away and, for the first time in weeks (or even months), she actually  _felt_  beautiful. Danny brushed the tears away with his thumb, a concerned look on his face. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Kara smiled at him tumultuously. "You didn't." She reached up, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. "I love you too."


	18. Where Danny and Kara go Shopping

"This one is 1,500 square feet. It has three bedrooms, two baths and a basement that you could finish if you want more space."

Danny could tell that the real estate agent's cheerful tone was not doing anything to sell Kara on this particular property. She scowled, a look that Danny had seen more in the last two weeks than in the last year, and folded her arms across her chest in a perfect imitation of Commander Thomas Chandler. Leaning towards Danny she whispered. "Seriously? This place is a dump."

"It may be better on the inside," Danny whispered back, trying to sound positive even though his first impression of this property – the tenth they had looked at today – was the same as Kara's. Unfortunately that first impression was immediately confirmed when three steps in the door, the smell of cat urine had Kara dry heaving.

"I think we're done for the day," Danny said, cutting Todd, their real estate agent, off as he began apologizing profusely for the smell, which obviously had not been on the listing information.

"I agree. None of these are even close to what we want – which is a finished house in a decent neighborhood. Every house we saw today either needed to be completely renovation or was too far away from the base," Kara replied, not bothering to sugar-coat her opinion on the prior properties.

Todd got a slightly pinched look between his eyes but rallied quickly. "I do have one property that I think might be a great fit for you. It's at the top of your price point but it's a foreclosure so you're getting a lot of bang for your buck."

"A foreclosure sounds like a lot of work," Kara replied doubtfully, sounding tired. Danny had noticed her sagging more and more as the day went on.

"It would probably need a little bit of TLC before you would want to move in, but this neighborhood is full of young families and the school system is excellent," Todd began rattling off statistics, going into full salesman mode. The man had come highly recommended from Berchem, who claimed he helped him get his own place way under value, but Danny was beginning to wonder whether Todd should stick with single military guys looking for a fixer-upper to work on in their spare time. Babbling wasn't helping his case with Kara.

"Chances are we won't be here long enough to need the school system," Kara muttered, rubbing her back.

"A good school district is important for resale, though," Danny pointed out.

Kara gave him a black look. "Thank you, captain obvious."

"You want to sit down for a while? Take a break?" Danny asked, hoping his irritation didn't show in his voice. Kara had been the one who wanted to look at houses in the first place – Danny would have been perfectly content to wait another six months or a year – and yet she had been complaining all day.

"No. We might as well go see it. Who knows, maybe this one will be perfect. Or at least the bathroom will be functional."

Fifteen minutes later they had arrived at the last house, a beautiful two story Saltbox with a huge front yard and a couple of trees for shade. The house needed painting and the yard was overgrown, but it was all work that Danny could easily do himself.

Kara gave Todd a hard look. "So what's wrong with it?"

"As far as I know, nothing." Danny was amused by Todd's reaction to Kara's tone, which was the one she had used when giving orders to young officers on the Nathan James. "The prior owner seems to have bought as an investment, intending to renovate, but ran out of money. The bank is just looking for a quick sale to get this off their books."

Twenty minutes later, tour of the house complete, Danny couldn't help but agree with Todd's original assessment. Four bedrooms, two and a half baths, a new kitchen, and a large back yard, the house was exactly what they were looking for. The walls needed painting and most of the carpeting would have to be replaced, but that was all cosmetic. The only thing that the house lacked was a finished basement, but all of the basic work had been done. Floors were laid, walls framed, and water and electrical installed. It was just a matter of putting in the drywall. Besides, it wasn't as if they would need the space immediately.

When Kara disappeared to the bathroom, having received assurances from Todd that it was in fact functional, the man smiled at Danny sympathetically. "My wife and I have four. The last month seems to last forever."

"So this is normal?" Danny didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified. He had been hoping that Kara's black mood was like PMS, triggered when the Nathan James deployed, with Alisha on board, two weeks ago, following a few days later by Carlton leaving for his new post in Europe. Danny wasn't sure he could handle four and a half more weeks of the abrupt mood swings.

"Oh yeah. But don't even think about mentioning it to them. You so much as suggest that she seems to be having a rough day and she's all over the fact that she is the one carrying around thirty extra pounds and dealing with a baby kicking her bladder all night. Believe me. You'll never make the mistake of complaining about her mood again."

Danny hoped his face didn't give him away. He had actually learned that lesson already, making the mistake of telling Berchem that he was going to skip a night out with the guys because  _'Kara was in a mood_ ' without first checking to make sure that she couldn't hear him. Danny had ended up running into Steve later that night outside the store where he had gone to buy Kara ice cream as a peace offering.

He had still spent the night on the couch.

"It's a beautiful house," Kara said thoughtfully when she returned. "But with a baby and no guarantee that you will be staying stateside long-term, Danny, I worry a little about the work."

Buoyed by the fact that Kara was expressing interest in a house for the first time all day, Danny jumped in. "I don't think it needs too much work. The guys could help me pull the rugs out in a day and we might be able to redo the wood floors. If not, Berchem knows how to lay carpet and can show me how to do it. As for the painting, if I have to leave again before it gets done, I'm sure my dad would have no problem coming down to help. He's off for the summer anyway. And you know my parents, always trying to do something to help us. Might as well take advantage of that."

"The kitchen is really nice," Kara agreed, her voice growing more enthusiastic. "And the backyard is great. Plenty of room for a swing set."

"Take a few minutes to consider it, but if this is the one, you will want to put in an offer today or tomorrow," Todd said, jumping in. "At this price, this house will go quickly. In fact, it might go over list price if there's more than one offer."

Todd's final comment threw cold water all over Danny's growing enthusiasm.

"This is already at the top of our budget," Danny said concerned. "And I'd like to have a little bit of wiggle room for any surprises."

"The top of  _your_  budget," Kara corrected. "Which is based on  _your_  income. If we take my income into account, this is well within our range."

Danny caught her eye and shot a hooded glance at Todd. This was not the kind of discussion he wanted to have in front of someone else, and normally Kara would have agreed, but today she just rolled her eyes.

"Let me give you a few minutes to talk alone," Todd said diplomatically before disappearing.

As soon as the other man left, Danny turned to his wife. "Kara, I thought we agreed on this. It makes the most sense to try to stick to a house that we can afford on just my income. It gives us more flexibility."

Left unsaid was that using only his income gave Kara the option of leaving the Navy when her enlistment came up, a topic which Danny didn't want to raise since it inevitably turned into a fight.

"I know," Kara replied, sighing. "But this is the only house that we both like at all. I don't want to lose it because of a couple thousand dollars."

"There will be other houses," Danny reasoned. "Maybe waiting until after the baby is born is a better idea anyway. Do you really want to move when you're nine months pregnant?"

"But I really want to find one  _now_." Tears filled Kara's eyes. "I want to bring the Bug home to a house where he has his own room and not a corner. I want my mom and your parents and Alisha and Carlton and Ravit to be able to come and stay with us and visit and have parties in the backyard. I want a real home. One where we can put down roots and be a real family."

_Damn_. Danny knew he was lost as soon as the first tear rolled down Kara's face. Because he understood what she wasn't saying. She wanted to provide their son with the home that she never had, moving from one place to another with Debbie, never staying anywhere longer than a year. It was a lifestyle foreign to Danny, who had lived in the same house from the day he came home from the hospital to the day he left for college.

Danny gently wrapped his arms around Kara, uncertain about her mood and whether she would welcome the gesture. "If this is really the one you want, we'll put in an offer and see where it goes. Who knows, maybe we can get it at this price."

"Thank you." Kara sniffed against his chest. They stayed that way for a few minutes, Kara leaning against him tiredly, before Danny pulled away.

"Let me go tell Todd to call the other agent and start the process rolling. I'll be back in a minute okay?"

"Take your time," Kara replied, rubbing her back again. "My back is killing me so I'm going to sit down for a few minutes. I think I saw a lounger left in the backyard."

Twenty minutes, and two trips to the backyard to have Kara sign documents, later, the offer was in and the only thing left to do was wait for the bank to reply. Todd had warned Danny, well outside of Kara's hearing, that in situations like this, with bank-owned properties, the response time could be somewhat slower so not to be surprised if it took a week or more to hear back.

As he entered the backyard again, Danny was surprised, and somewhat amused, to see that Kara had fallen asleep. Pulling out his phone, he snapped a picture, intending to text it out, before thinking better of it.

Leaning over, Danny shook Kara's shoulder. "Wake up Sleeping Beauty."

"What time is it?" Kara asked groggily, before holding out her hand for him to pull to standing position.

"Just after four. You've been asleep for about fifteen minutes. We can grab some dinner on the way home and then make an early night of it, if you want."

Danny wouldn't mind a little bit of sleep himself. With all of Kara's tossing and turning, neither one of them had had a decent night's sleep in weeks.

But Kara has only taken two steps before she stopped, gasping, one hand flying to her stomach as the other dug into Danny's arm.

"What's wrong?"

If it was possible, Kara's nails dug further into his arm. "I think my water just broke."

Following Kara's gaze, Danny saw that Kara's pants were wet, a small puddle forming on the ground where she was standing.

" _Oh, shit."_


	19. Where Nothing Goes According to Plan

Kara stared blankly at Doctor Fiskali, a man she had just met, trying to wrap her mind around what he was saying, but the only thing she could hear clearly was the pounding of her own heart. The man's unruffled voice and composed demeanor was doing nothing to ease Kara's anxiety – or halt Danny's pacing. He must have walked five miles since they arrived here.

At first it had been from excitement. Once their initial shock at realizing that they were going to become parents  _today_  had passed, Danny had reverted to what Kara jokingly called "mission mode" and gotten them to the hospital in record time, the grin on his face getting bigger and bigger each time they were congratulated.

Then had come the phone calls.

First his parents, obviously, although Danny had been forced to leave a message since the senior Mr. and Mrs. Green were currently on a cruise in the Black Sea, a trip planned more than a year prior, and had limited cell reception. Next he had called his sister Caroline, who had promised to drive down to Norfolk, only to realize that she couldn't pull Chris out of school for a week and would need to wait until their parents returned in another eight days to come meet her nephew. Then the guys, asking Frankie to swing by the apartment and get Kara's to-go bag (which they had inconveniently forgotten to put in the car) filled with essentials for her and the Bug during their stay here. Finally Sarah, who had promptly told Alisha, who had told Carlton, who had told Cruz, and within fifteen minutes both of their phones had begun blowing up with texts from friends demanding updates. Danny's next call probably would have been to Debbie if Kara hadn't intervened. Her mother turned into a nervous wreck in crisis situations, and Kara had enough on her plate without having to deal with a stressed-out mother to boot.

Then, before either of them had time to adjust to the fact that they were about to become parents a month earlier than planned, Doctor Fiskali had arrived, and begun to list all of the potential problems that babies born at thirty-six weeks faced.

_Respiratory distress from immature lungs, jaundice, low birth weight, difficulties regulating temperature, difficulties eating, possibility of a NICU admission._

And then he had dropped the bombshell.

_"Your son's heartrate keeps dropping."_

Kara's gaze flew to the monitor she had been hooked up to, the one tracking her contractions and the baby's heartrate, which was currently exactly where it should be. Kara relaxed slightly as she watched the small blips on the screen.

Danny's smile wilted. "What does that mean?"

Doctor Fiskali regarded them seriously. "It means that the baby is not tolerating labor well, even at these early stages. Either the cord is twisted or there is a knot or he's simply too immature. Our recommendation would be to perform a cesarean section rather than try for a vaginal delivery. And you should be prepared for your son to spend some time in the neonatal unit."

"Isn't there anything you can do to help him?" Kara blurted, arms encircling her stomach reflexively.

Both men seemed startled by the outburst. "Your water has broken, Mrs. Green. That limits our options at this point."

The doctor continued talking but Kara tuned him out, her mind spinning.

_This isn't how it was supposed to happen. They were supposed to be picking a house today and signing papers and then going out to dinner to celebrate. They were supposed to have weeks to pack and move and set up the nursery before the Bug arrives. They were supposed to be excited about seeing their little boy, and not worrying about respiratory problems or jaundice or time in the NICU._

"We need some time to talk alone," Danny said, cutting off Doctor Fiskali mid-sentence. Kara glanced at him, startled, and noticed that his worried gaze was fixed on her. She wondered how much of the conversation she had missed.

"I'll leave you alone for a few minutes but please make a decision quickly," Doctor Fiskali cautioned as he stood, assuring them that any drop in the baby's heartrate would set off an alarm at the nurse's station.

"I'm going to call Doctor Scott," Danny explained as he picked up his phone again and began dialing. Kara nodded, rolling to her left side as the doctor had suggested, a feeling of relief sweeping over her despite the news that she had just learned.

_Rachel would know what to do_.

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Danny cursed as he was transferred  _again_. This was the third – no fourth – time and if he didn't get through to Rachel soon he was going to…well, actually Danny had no idea what he was going to do. He glanced at Kara again. She was still staring blankly at the monitor, the same way she had been since the doctor left and, although he knew that the nurse had given her something for the pain, he was getting increasingly worried about her. He was counting on Rachel knowing what to do or say to help her snap out of this strange funk.

"Dennis Milowsky speaking."

_Thank God_. Not exactly the person he wanted to talk to, but at least Dennis would tell him if reaching Rachel was even a possibility.

"It's Green. We're at the hospital and I need to talk to Doctor Scott but I can't track her down anywhere." Danny did not give two shits how demanding he sounded right now.

"Is everything okay?" The model doctor, Dennis's voice managed to convey both a sense of calm and urgency at the same time.

"Kara's water broke and the baby's heartrate keeps decelerating and the doctors here are suggesting a c-section."

"That's standard procedure for the situation," Dennis replied, apparently trying to feel out why Danny was looking for Rachel.

"I understand that but we were hoping to talk to Rachel about it," Danny prevaricated, acutely aware that Kara was in the room and could hear every word that he was saying.

"Is there someone else Kara can talk to? Is her mother there?" Dennis pressed and Danny wondered what, if anything, Milowsky knew about Debbie Foster.

"No, she's not …. good … at situations like this," Danny hedged. "And my parents are on a cruise in Russia so good luck trying to reach them."

Dennis sighed. "Rachel's in D.C. for a meeting at the Department of Defense. I'll try getting in touch with her but I don't know if it is even possible right now."

Danny's stomach turned to a pit of ice as he thanked Dennis and hung-up. He stood there for a moment, silently debating, before calling the only other person he could think of who might be able to help.

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"It will be okay, Danny."

Kara reached out to clasp his hand as they waited, together, for the nurse to come back and wheel Kara down the hallway to the operating room. Danny was already dressed in his scrubs, hair covered by a lime green cap, the camera that Frankie had so obligingly delivered looped over his shoulder. He smiled at Kara, but in place of the beguiling smile that she adored, Danny's lips were thin and drawn and his eyes were hollow.

"I think that's supposed to be my line," he quipped, but the words came out flat and he shifted restlessly in his chair. "Are you sure that you don't want me to call your mother?"

"And have her see me like this?" Kara demanded. "No."

They settled into silence again, the only sound in the room the reassuring beep-beep-beep of the monitor telling them that, for now, the Bug was fine. Kara moved the oxygen mask she was wearing to the side. "What are you thinking about?"

"When I was in the West Sudan, there was this little boy. His name was Jean. He came to the clinic with the Egyptian Virus. He was so little, Kara, just a couple years old. And he was so sick. And I looked at him and I remember being glad that you and the baby were here, in the States, where there was no risk of catching the virus. Where nothing could happen to him."

His voice cracked on the last word and Kara tightened her grip on his hand. "The Bug is going to be  _fine_  Danny. Remember? That's what Rachel said. And you know she would never lie to us."

Kara still wasn't sure how, but somehow Danny had convinced someone to pull Rachel out of a meeting at the Pentagon and the call  _had_  been reassuring. Enough for Kara to sign off on every single one of the forms that the nurses put before her without so much as glancing at them.

"Rachel saved him, you know," Danny replied, his thumb stroking over the back of her hand. "Jean. Everyone thought that it was too late, that he had been sick for too long. But Rachel did it."

"What was he like? Jean?"

Danny beamed at the memory. "He was a rascal, once he was feeling better. We taught him to play soccer and he never got tired of chasing the balls around camp."

"Maybe he'll grow up to be an international soccer sensation," Kara said, charmed by the image.

"Maybe." Danny's voice was flat again. "But you know what conditions are like there. Jean's father walked for almost two days to get to the clinic, and Mr. Surur's recovery did not go as smoothly as his son's recovery. He'll probably have medical issues for the remainder of his life."

"Could we sponsor them to the USA?" Kara had just been throwing out the idea, but Danny's response was instant.

"You'd be willing to do that?" He asked, keenly, before shaking his hand. "Pretty sure West Sudan is on the terrorist hotspot list. We would never get them here."

"Maybe not," Kara replied honestly. "But if it is something important to you, then we should try."

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Danny wasn't sure what was expecting, but the operating room was shockingly calm. Dr. Fiskali was talking to them from the other side of the curtain, telling Kara about his recent trip to Kansas as though he wasn't in the process of cutting into her stomach. The pediatrician stood by the incubator, humming to himself as he waited, paying no apparent attention to what was going on, as he chatted with the nurse who had offered to take pictures so that Danny could keep his hands free to hold the baby.

"And here he is!" Doctor Fiskali lifted the infant above the curtain for an instant, giving them a fleeting glance of their wailing infant before he was whisked over to the pediatrician.

Danny sat, his hand still grasping Kara's, hardly able to believe what had just happened. They had been in this room for less than five minutes. Shouldn't this take longer?

"Did you want to cut the cord, dad?" A nurse called and Danny stood almost automatically, his eyes not wavering from the squalling red bundle of flailing arms and legs, barely noticing the snap-snap-snap of the camera as the woman captured every moment. After making the cut where indicated (trimming the cord would have been a more accurate description, given that it most certainly was no longer attached to Kara), Danny watched the pediatrician listen to the baby's lungs and clear out his nose, all the while amazed that he was actually looking at his baby – his son.

The infant was so small – tiny really. His hands, which were squeezed into fists, no bigger than quarters. His legs the width of Danny's thumbs. His tiny eyes clamped closed as though to block out the world around him, until the pediatrician leaned over to place antibiotic drops on his lids and they popped open, one fist catching the doctor in the nose as the baby's screaming intensified.

"Feisty little guy," the man chuckled, wrapping the infant up expertly in a blanket and sliding a blue cap on his head. He held the bundle out to Danny. "Go on, introduce the little guy to his mama."

Danny stared in wonder at the tiny wrinkled face, barely visible between the blanket and the hat, the baby's little mouth still open and protesting everything that was happening. Sitting on the chair next to Kara that he had vacated minutes before, Danny angled the baby up so she could see. One hand reached out to stroke a tiny face, a tear rolling down Kara's cheek as she gazed at the infant, her face a combination of reverence and joy.

"There you are, J.P.," she cooed. Her eyes moved from the little boy to Danny. "He's perfect."

"He is."

Their little boy.

Joshua Paul Green.


	20. Where Danny and Kara Get Some Visitors

Danny sat on the hard cafeteria chair staring at the cup of coffee before him, the dim lights flickering on the ceiling caused the cup to cast odd shadows along the table. He knew that he should be doing … something, sleeping probably … but even lifting the cup to his lips felt like it would require too much energy. Danny's eyes shifted to the phone that sat next to his untouched coffee but, other than the time – 5:37 – the screen remained unchanged. Hopefully that meant Kara was still sleeping, the pain medication that she had been given after surgery having knocked her out. Danny himself had been unable to fall asleep, eyes constantly drawn to the bassinette that sat – empty – beside Kara's hospital bed. Ninety minutes ago he had given up on the idea of sleep altogether, wandering the halls until one of the nurses had kicked him off the floor and he had found his way here, sending Kara a text message so she knew how to reach him.

He heard the footstep behind him mere seconds before a tall, silver-haired man rounded the table, setting two large coffees down before pulling out a chair and planting himself directly across from Danny.

"I thought that I might find you here," Commander Thomas Chandler said as he pushed one of the coffees across the table to Danny.

"Thank you, sir, but I already have one," Danny said, indicating the cup before him.

Commander Chandler lifted his cup to his mouth, taking a large sip before responding. "We're not on the ship, Danny, you can call me Tom. And there is no such thing as too much coffee."

It was such a Kara type thing to say that Danny smiled despite his utter exhaustion, reaching out to take the offered coffee. At least this one was still hot. "Thank you, Tom. And thank you for helping me reach Rachel yesterday. You were the only person I could think of to call."

Now it was Tom's turn to smile, as though he had found the task of interrupting a closed Congressional meeting amusing. "I do have a few connections on the Hill. Might as well take advantage of them once in a while. Congratulations, by the way. A boy?"

"Yes. Joshua Paul Green. J.P. for short," Danny replied, his voice lightening despite his worry and fatigue. He picked up his phone, scrolling until he found the picture he was looking for, one of Kara, still in the operating room, J.P. cradled in her arms. But it wasn't the serene face of his son that drew Danny to this picture in particular. It was the joyous expression that Kara wore, her entire attention focused on the infant in her arms.

An expression that had quickly changed to panic when the pediatrician approached to speak with them.

"Kara's father was named Paul, wasn't he?" Tom asked as he picked up Danny's phone.

"Yes. And Joshua is my middle name, as well as my father's middle name," Danny added. "We didn't tell my dad yet. We wanted it to be a surprise."

"Your parents are in Connecticut? Are they driving down today?" Tom asked, his tone casual, although Danny knew that Commander Thomas Chandler did nothing casually.

"Actually they're on a cruise over in Europe. I spoke with them a couple hours ago. They were going to try to find an earlier flight back but I told them to enjoy the rest of their trip. A few days won't matter, and it's not like J.P. is going home for a while."

"He's a handsome boy." Tom returned the phone to Danny, leaning back in his chair as he studied the younger man, as though considering his next words. "NICU?"

"Yes, for breathing problems," Danny explained, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Maybe jaundice. The pediatrician said he should only be there a couple of days. He just needs some extra oxygen and special lamps for his eyes. It should be fine but…"

"But you're scared," Tom finished. "You look at your wife sitting in a hospital bed with her arms empty and your son laying in intensive care, covered in tubes and wires, and you want to do something to fix it. But there is absolutely nothing that you can do."

Danny stared at Tom as the man explained, in detail, the rollercoaster of emotions that Danny had been struggling with for the past twelve hours. "How did you know?"

Tom pulled out his own phone, scrolling down before sliding it over to Danny. The picture showed a laughing young boy with brown hair falling in his eyes, kneeling next to a black standard poodle. A boy who bore more than a passing resemblance to the man across the table from Danny. This had to be Tom's son.

"Ten years ago I was sitting where you are now. In this very hospital, in fact. The only difference was that my son, Sam, was born much earlier. Thirty-one weeks, to be exact. He spent five weeks in the NICU. Five of the worst weeks of my life. Losing Darien was devastating, but seeing my son fight for his life, well, that changed me. It's something that you can't understand until you become a father. You don't appreciate how much it physically hurts to see them struggling. You can't comprehend that you would do anything, give up anything, for them to be healthy and safe." Tom picked up the phone, gazing at the picture of Sam before returning the phone to his pocket.

Danny thought about those few precious moments when he had held J.P., before they had whisked him away to the NICU. He was so tiny, so delicate, and yet he had fit in Danny's arms perfectly. His tiny eyes had opened, the infant staring right at Danny's face, his fists tucked up by his ears as though he were trying to block out the noise. Despite knowing that he only had a few minutes before the doctors took J.P. to intensive care, sitting there with his son in his arms and his wife at his side, Danny had felt more love – more happiness – than he had ever experienced before.

And more fear. Because nothing was in his control.

Was that how Dahab had felt that night when he brought Jean to the field hospital, facing down soldiers who were armed to the teeth in a desperate bid to save the son he knew full well was dying? Willing to accept a round of bullets if it meant giving his son a chance – no matter how slim – of surviving?

"There was a man in the Sudan. He came to the hospital one night. He was carrying a bundle that he wouldn't put down. We almost shot him before we realized the bundle was actually a kid. His two-year-old son. He was barely clinging to life. The look in that father's eyes when he passed me that boy. He knew how sick his son was, he knew that the chances of us saving him were slim. But he still came to a hospital filled with heavily armed soldiers from another country to ask for help from doctors who he couldn't understand and probably didn't trust."

"He sounds like a good father," Tom replied.

"He was." Danny fiddled with his coffee. "How did you manage it? Sam's hospital stay?"

"Not well, actually," Tom admitted, surprising Danny with his candor. "Darien and I decided that we would take shifts at the hospital, one with Sam while the other person stayed home with Ashley. And we managed that for a couple weeks. Until the day Darien came home to find me sitting at the kitchen table, just staring out the window, while Ashley happily re-decorated the walls with finger-paint rainbows and flowers."

Danny chuckled at the image that popped into his mind. "I guess your wife wasn't too happy."

"She thought that I had lost my mind," Tom admitted. "But it forced me to realize something. I figured that I had been through tougher situations in the field, and I convinced myself that I could handle it. But I didn't realize how hard it would hit me. I also didn't realize how many people there who wanted to help me if I was willing to let them. It was a lesson that I learned late, but I'm glad that I learned it."

During Danny's short time on the Nathan James, he had taken directions mostly from Commander Slattery, seeing Captain Chandler only at briefings. But it hadn't taken long for Danny to come to respect and admire the man due, in part, to his loyalty, and to the genuine interest that he had in the members of his crew. From the moment that Danny boarded the Nathan James, whether or not he knew it, Tom Chandler had been in his corner.

Evidenced by the fact that the man was currently sitting in a hospital cafeteria with him at six o'clock in the morning.

Danny thought back to his conversation with his parents, when he had insisted that they keep their plans the same, telling them that he and Kara were fine. Maybe Tom was right. Maybe he should ask them to cut the trip short, to come back earlier, just in case.

The beep of his phone interrupted Danny's thoughts. Eyes dropping, he read through Kara's message, replying quickly to let her know where he was and who he was speaking with. Her response came in less than thirty seconds. "Kara said some company would be nice, if you have the time."

"I think I can manage that," Tom replied, downing the remainder of his coffee.

As the two men stood, the phone beeped again. Danny chuckled, causing Tom to raise an eyebrow. "Given that we're in the cafeteria, she is apparently expecting coffee."

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To Danny's surprise, Tom Chandler stayed not only for breakfast, but for the entire morning. Danny was especially thankful for the man's company once he realized that, due to her surgery, Kara was in no shape to spend long periods of time upright next to J.P.'s incubator. Upon realizing the problem, Tom had offered to sit with Kara, allowing Danny to spend much of the morning with J.P. Although Tom had stepped out on a few occasions to make calls, Kara had taken advantage of the time to shower and dress and attempt to use the breast pump that the nurses had brought by (a contraption that sounded remarkably like a torture devise).

And Tom was not their only visitor. Sarah had appeared with a large bouquet of flowers, followed shortly by Frankie, Jason and Steve, all of whom looked extremely uncomfortable about being in the maternity ward – although that hadn't stopped Berchem from flirting with every female doctor and nurse who walked through the door. Two of Kara's co-workers came by, and their realtor showed up with some paperwork that he had forgotten to have them sign, to Tom's apparent disapproval. Danny was even able to take Tom, Frankie and Sarah to see J.P. for a few minutes (Jason and Steve having declined). Sarah had snapped several pictures for Alisha, who was apparently frantic for updates if the constant beeping of Sarah's phone was any indication.

Debbie Foster had also made an appearance. Unfortunately, that had gone exactly as poorly as Kara had predicted the day before. Upon learning that J.P. was in the NICU, Debbie had collapsed in tears and nothing that either Kara or Danny said seemed to calm her down. Berchem had finally stepped in, convincing Debbie to let him and Smith escort her to the store to buy a number of items that Danny and Kara would need, including preemie clothing, since J.P. was swimming in the newborn size. Danny assumed that the guys would eventually present him with some sort of invoice for the emotional distress of being forced to set foot in a  _baby_  store, but he hadn't cared, too relieved that Debbie was somewhere that she couldn't upset Kara – or get drunk.

By 1200, everyone except Tom had left, and the three were just digging into the sandwiches that Tom had picked up at a shop around the corner when there was another knock on the door.

"Come in," Kara called around her mouthful of egg salad.

Rachel Scott stepped through the door, carrying a gaily wrapped gift bag and a large potted orchid that blocked half of her face.

"Doc!" Danny jumped to his feet, taking the plant so that Rachel could see where she was going. After giving his arm a squeeze, Rachel moved immediately towards the bed, reaching down to take Kara's hand.

"I knew that you could do it, Kara. Congratulations on the birth of your son."

"Thank you for coming, Rachel," Kara replied, tears wheeling up in her eyes. "I hope that we didn't cause too much trouble for you yesterday, pulling you out of your meeting."

"Not at all. As I told Danny, those assemblies are quite dull anyway. In fact, please feel free to interrupt me anytime…." Rachel trailed off as she realized, apparently for the first time, that Danny and Kara were not alone in the room. "Captain Chandler."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Commander Chandler, actually, as I am no longer the captain of the James. But please feel free to call me Tom."

Rachel declined her head. "I was very sorry to hear about your wife, Tom. Please accept my condolences. I would have come to the funeral but I didn't want to upset you more than I did before."

"That was probably the right choice," Tom replied, his voice quiet at the mention of his wife, his hand moving to twirl the wedding ring he still wore.

"Yes, well, I imagine that you were still quite angry at me," Rachel replied. Danny's eyes shot to Kara, who shrugged, clearly no more in the know than Danny was.

Tom cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere?"

"If you'd like," Rachel replied with a shrug. "Although I hardly see the point. It will all be common knowledge by tomorrow anyway."


	21. Where Everyone Learns about Valkyrie

Kara's gaze skipped back and forth between Tom and Rachel. For months the crew of the Nathan James had speculated about what Doctor Rachel Scott had done to so infuriate Commander Thomas Chandler the morning that she came to vaccinate them against the Red Flu – something that none of the crew (setting aside the senior officers, who weren't talking) had never seen before. The most popular theory was that Doctor Scott had made a pass at the Captain and had been rebuffed, which Kara had always thought was a load of bull. Rachel was far too honorable to have done something of that nature and even if Rachel  _had_  confessed to having feelings for the Captain, Kara could not see Tom reacting angrily. In Kara's opinion, Tom would have tried to let the woman down gently, in the hopes of keeping a civil relationship for work purposes, and it would have been Rachel, if anyone, who left the room angry. But Kara's view had been in the minority and the scuttlebutt had reached a fevered pitch in the weeks following Darien Chandler's funeral, with everyone wondering whether Doctor Scott would appear in Norfolk to try to comfort the grieving widower. When she didn't, and there was no indication that the two of them were even in contact, the gossip had slowly died out. But that didn't mean that people stopped wondering and, for the first time in twenty-two hours, Kara found herself interested in something besides J.P.

_Twenty-two hours._

It was hard to believe that less than a day ago she and Danny were happily house hunting. Actually, claiming they were  _happily_  house hunting was a stretch, Kara admitted wryly, as she had been pretty darn miserable between her aching back and swollen ankles. And the smell of cats, oh lord she would never forget that smell! But happily or not, neither Danny nor Kara had any idea how the day would end when they set out to find a home, naively assuming that they had weeks, rather than hours, left before their son's arrival.

J.P. had been born almost eighteen hours ago, and Kara had held him only twice; once in the operating room before he was whisked away by the doctors, and again this morning in the NICU. It had been a jarring adjustment to go from carrying him twenty-four, seven and feeling him moving constantly to an empty stomach and no infant to hold. She had startled awake that morning panicked to realize that nobody was kicking her bladder, only to collapse in exhaustion as she remembered everything that had happened, wanting nothing more than to see her son.

Waiting to go to the NICU had been excruciating – but the floor nurse refused to allow Kara to get out of bed until the doctor cleared her, and even then she was required to use a wheelchair anytime she left her hospital room. As they finally approached the NICU, Kara had felt Danny's rising tension. She suspected that he was worried about how she would react to seeing their little boy surrounded by medical equipment tracking his oxygen and breathing, tubes running through his nose and taped to his cheek. And the sight had been petrifying, as it reminded her of how fragile their little boy was. But as soon as J.P. was placed in her arms, Kara forgot all about the tubes and the beeping and the equipment, her attention focused only on her little boy.

She had been able to stroke his soft fine hair, dark like hers, and count his tiny fingers. She had noticed that his second toe was longer than his first, like his daddy's toes, and he had her chin. When she stroked her finger down his cheek he had turned towards her, brilliant blue eyes gazing in her direction as she murmured nonsense words. He had even managed to try nursing, and although the effort had exhausted him, the hovering nurse had assured Kara that the mere attempt was a positive sign. And when it was Danny's turn, Kara had been able to see the adoration that lit up her husband's face as he cradled the tiny infant, her heart melting when he pressed a tiny kiss to J.P.'s forehead.

Leaving the NICU, Kara knew how very lucky they were. J.P. might be small and require oxygen, but the conversation was about  _when_  he would be able to go home, rather than  _if_. Unlike Danny, Kara had enough medical training to understand the importance of the subtle difference. She knew – intellectually – that J.P. was at no real risk of dying and would be home before she could blink her eyes. Emotionally, however, it was not as easy to banish the what-ifs, the fear that she might never hold her little boy again, and she had been thankful for the stream of company to distract her. In fact, Kara had been feeling almost normal again after showering (finally!) and visiting with Sarah, who had arrived with chocolate and promises that Alisha would call the second that she was able.

And then Debbie had arrived.

Debbie had never handled pressure well, usually falling apart at the first sign of a problem, and Kara had known that her mother would react poorly to the news that J.P. was struggling. Unfortunately, Debbie's reaction had been even worse than Kara had expected, and she had burst into hysterical sobs the minute that Danny mentioned the NICU and had not stopped crying until Berchem and Smith – of all people – had offered to take her shopping for preemie clothing and diapers. The only positive from the visit was that Debbie had arrived sober, keeping the promise she had made to Kara not to drink around her grandson. Kara held out little hope that the change would be permanent, but knowing that Debbie was trying made her overreaction easier to ignore.

"Nothing has been officially released yet," Tom protested, drawing Kara's attention back to the on-going drama between he and Rachel. The Captain was frowning at Rachel, who merely arched an eyebrow at him.

"You haven't been watching the news," Rachel replied with a shrug. "The story broke an hour ago."

"What story?" Danny asked, sounding as confused, and as curious, as Kara.

"Have either of you heard of Valkyrie?" Rachel asked. Receiving no response, she continued. "Almost a year ago an unidentified party calling himself or herself Valkyrie – we assume it is a woman given the handle – established a network dedicated to information about the Red Flu. The network currently has more than six million followers." Kara wasn't aware that the Red Flu even existed a year ago, having only heard about it upon their return from the Arctic when EMCON was lifted. Still, it was hardly surprising that someone had dedicated a network to the virus, given the amount of attention that the Ebola outbreaks had received only a few years ago. "Valkyrie has a bit of a conspiracy bent, but the information on the network has, for the most part, been accurate."

"Around six months ago, the Valkyrie network began disclosing classified information about the military's response to the virus," Tom spoke up, taking over the conversation. "Nothing too important, information about troop vaccination and the humanitarian mission to the Sudan, but it suggested that the Pentagon had a leak in the ranks. An investigation failed to determine who was leaking the information but, unfortunately, it did tip Valkyrie off to the fact that she was being watched. Ten days ago, she released a message giving the Pentagon one week to disclose all information – classified or otherwise – about the Red Flu. If the Pentagon failed to do so, Valkyrie said she would do it herself."

"The day after the deadline passed, Valkyrie posted a memorandum that claims to be from President Geller, outlining a plan by the United States Navy and the CDC to weaponize the virus in violation of the Biological Weapons Convention. Yesterday, Valkyrie released a list of the people that she believes are involved in the conspiracy, including myself, Quincy Tophet, Dennis Milowsky, and Captain Chandler," Rachel continued.

"Am I on it?" Danny asked, anticipating Rachel's next comment.

"You both are, actually," Tom said somberly. "Along with every other member of the Nathan James's crew. The names, ranks, and service records of everyone who went to the Arctic have now been released."

Kara reached out to clasp Danny's hands tightly, feeling sick. Much of Danny's work was classified and, while she obviously didn't know details, allowing that information to fall into the wrong hands could put him – could put their family – into danger. "All of our service records?"

"Danny's cover for his more sensitive missions appears to have held," Tom replied, his eyes locked on Danny, who squeezed Kara's hand in what she assumed was meant to be a comforting manner. Somehow, though, nothing felt very comforting right now. As if having a newborn in the NICU was not enough, they were also being accused of participating in a conspiracy to develop a biological weapon when, in fact, Danny had been one of the reasons that Rachel was able to develop a cure. "Valkyrie seems to have released the personal information of the crew simply as a means of gaining public attention for her real contention – which is that the real purpose of Project Bluenose, the code name for our mission, was to spread the virus."

Danny sat down gently on the edge of Kara's bed, sliding his arm around her shoulders as they tried to take in everything that Tom and Rachel were telling them. Two people, who they had trusted, who they had believed in and had followed, had kept so much from them. Finally Danny spoke. "Valkyrie appears focused on our mission to the Arctic. Why were we really there? I assume it was not to test the new guidance system."

"No, we weren't there to test a new guidance system," Tom replied, and there was a tinge of anger in his voice. "The system had already been thoroughly tested and there was no need for us to test it again, or to be at EMCON when we did so. The missile tests were merely an excuse for our presence in the Arctic. We were at EMCON to make sure that Doctor Scott's presence on the ship, and her search for the primordial strain, remained a secret."

Kara gaped at Tom. The United States government had installed millions of dollars of computer equipment and sent a destroyer to the Arctic for six months on a false mission in order to cover up research into a vaccine? No wonder Valkyrie thought that there was a conspiracy! "It was all a cover? But why?"

"The government felt that revealing the nature of my research would lead to panic similar to what happened last year during the Ebola outbreaks. It was therefore determined that nobody would be informed of the true nature of the mission unless Quincy and I succeeded. The President also made the decision, over my protest, I might add, to keep all of you, including Captain Chandler, in the dark," Rachel finished.

"You needed the primordial strain to develop the vaccine," Danny observed rather neutrally.

"Yes."

"Were you working on the vaccine in the Arctic?"

Kara gasped as she realized the implications. Strains of the Red Flu – the deadliest virus known to man – had been on the ship with them. One slip, one goof, one mistake and they all would have been dead.

"Yes, she was," Tom snapped. No wonder Tom had been furious when he learned the truth!

"I had orders directly from the President," Rachel responded, her voice almost pleading. "Finding the primordial was critical to the development of a vaccine, to saving lives, I couldn't take the chance of telling your what I was doing."

"We understand orders," Kara replied softly. "We follow them every day."

"Why are you telling us this now, then?" Danny asked suddenly. "If this involves the White House, pretty sure this is way above either of our clearance."

"Unfortunately it appears that Valkyrie's plan is working," Tom said with a long sigh. "The mainstream news has begun running the story. And any minute the two of you are going to start getting calls from reporters demanding to know what your role was in the cover-up."


	22. Where Danny Installs a Car Seat

"It looks like a cooler."

Caro poked at the large, white, plastic shell that was sitting on Danny and Kara's kitchen table, surrounded by packaging. Joanne turned to Caro, hands on hips, her voice stern as she corrected her daughter. "It looks nothing like a cooler. Do you see all of the straps?"

"Okay fine. It looks like a cooler that somebody glued straps and stickers to," Caro replied with a roll of her eyes. Danny bit down on his lip to prevent himself from laughing at Joanne's dismayed expression.

"That's actually a good idea," Danny said with a wink at his sister. "A cooler would be a hell of a lot cheaper than this thing and it can't be that hard to attach the straps. I could pull them off the highchair or something."

Joanne gasped in horror. "The two of you clearly have no concept of safety! Car beds are a serious piece of medical equipment! Not to say that you are going to have an accident on the way home, Danny..."

"Apparently she has never seen you drive," Caro muttered just loud enough for Danny to hear.

"...but you never know when some lunatic is going to come flying around the corner. Plus, the car beds are designed to provide maximum protection to the infant's neck in case of sudden stops or sharp turns while still allowing the infant to breathe correctly."

As Joanne begin a thorough discussion of car beds and their history, Caro stood behind the woman mimicking her silently, her hands thrown around wildly to emphasize Joanne's points. Having watched J.P. fail his car seat test twice at the hospital – which resulted in the infant's oxygen dropping and his skin turning a sickly blue color – Danny didn't really need the lecture. There was no way he wanted to be stuck in traffic with a baby who couldn't breathe when there was a safer, albeit more expensive, option.

Danny wasn't sure if he had given Caro away, or if their mother just knew Caro well enough to guess what she was doing, but upon finishing her lecture, Joanne swung around to face her daughter. "Are you quite finished, Caroline?"

"Sorry, Mom," Caro replied, although she didn't sound the least bit repentant. Danny didn't even try to stifle his laughter. "But I'm telling you, three hundred bucks for that cooler is absurd."

"The two of you are like five-year-olds," Joanne said with an impatient shake of her head. "The point that I was trying to make was that the car bed is specially designed for this purpose. Doesn't insurance cover the cost anyway?"

"Insurance hadn't approved it yet," Danny explained. Which had left him with two choices. Wait for the approval, which could take days, during which time J.P. would have to remain at the hospital, or pay for the car bed himself and put in for reimbursement. The decision had not been difficult. "We should get reimbursed."

"Typical insurance," Caro added with a snort. "No problem paying thousands of dollars a night to keep the kid in the hospital, but they make you jump through hoops to get the car seat you need to get him home."

Joanne looked troubled. "Has that happened with other things? I don't want to speak out of turn, Danny, but you have a lot going on and your father and I would be more than happy to help out with any expenses. You can pay us back later, if that would make you feel better."

She added the last bit in a rush, knowing that the issue of money was a sensitive one for him. Since leaving college, Danny had steadfastly refused to take any money from his parents, including declining every offer they made to help with the cost of the wedding. But with J.P. spending the last three weeks in the hospital, the bills had been racking up.

It didn't help that he and Kara had decided, in a fit of madness, to go forward with the purchase of the house they had toured the day J.P. was born. To their real estate agent's shock and Danny's relief, the bank had accepted their original offer rather than countering at a higher price. Unfortunately, the acceptance had come with the condition that they close within twenty-one days, and Danny had been too sleep-deprived and stressed to realize how much work such a quick closing would entail when he signed on the dotted line.

It was the one time when Berchem's ability to forge Danny's signature perfectly was more of a help than a hindrance, allowing Danny to effectively be in two places at one, he thought with a soft snort.

Not that it would have made much difference if Danny had known what he was in for. Danny knew that he wouldn't have been able to disappoint Kara by backing out of the deal. Not when she had already lost her dream of bringing home a healthy, full-term baby, instead spending her first weeks as a mother traveling back and forth to the hospital as J.P. struggled to learn how to breathe and then how to eat. He could picture the way she had looked that day, her eyes filled with tears as she spoke:

_I want to bring the Bug home to a house where he has his own room and not a corner. I want my mom and your parents and Alisha and Carlton and Ravit to be able to come and stay with us and visit and have parties in the backyard. I want a real home. One where we can put down roots and be a real family._

And Danny was determined to give her that. Somehow they had managed to close on time and, as of yesterday, Danny and Kara were the proud owners of a four-bedroom, two and a half bath home on a quarter acre lot. Of course, buying the house was only the beginning as the place had not been move-in ready by either Danny or Kara's standards. Although the majority of the work was cosmetic, it would still take time, something which they were desperately short on these days. Thankfully, Mark had offered to help and he, Frankie, Steve, and Jason were currently in the process of ripping out carpets, the first step in refinishing the floors.

"I'll think about it, Mom," Danny said, realizing that he hadn't responded to his mother's offer. "I really appreciate everything you and Dad are doing just by being here. It will make a great story for J.P. when he's older. How he managed to ruin Grandma and Grandpa's first real vacation in fifteen years."

"As if your mother could possibly have stayed away after learning that she was a grandmother." Mark's appearance caught them all by surprise. Danny swung around to see not just his father, but also Frankie standing in the doorway. He must be in worse shape than he realized if they had managed to get all the way to the kitchen without him hearing them. Vaguely Danny wondered how he was going to manage once he was back at work. His commander had allowed him the requested four weeks leave without issue but Danny knew that, once J.P. was home, he would be expected to put in extra time to make up for the lost hours. He was going to have to figure out a way to keep his mind in the game.

"The Black Sea will be there in ten years. A baby is only born once," Joanne replied with a smile. When, twenty-eight hours after J.P.'s birth, Danny had taken Tom Chandler's advice and called his parents to suggest that they return from their trip early, he had learned that they were way ahead of him. Not only had they left the cruise midway through, but they had also managed to find new flights home from Turkey, where the cruise ship had docked for the day, avoiding the need to return to Athens, where they had flown into. According to Mark, it was simply a matter of paying extra for the change fees, but to hear Caro tell the story, Mark and Joanne had lived their own version of Home Alone. Danny assumed that the real story was somewhere in-between, but he _had_ been impressed when they made it to Norfolk only forty-eight hours after learning about J.P.'s surprise arrival. After leaving the hospital – where they had come immediately upon reaching Norfolk – Joanne and Mark had moved into a short term rental, with Mark using up some of the backlog of vacation time that he had acquired over the years, and Joanne commuting back to Connecticut for two days a week to handle her most critical patients. Neither showed any signs of leaving Norfolk – much to Chris's delight. Danny had no doubt that his eighteen years old brother was having the summer of his life with no adults around to dictate his schedule.

"How are things at the house?" Danny asked his father.

Mark grinned. "We got all of the carpet out and started sanding the floor. Tomorrow we can hopefully start staining. There's something about working on a home that make you feel accomplished. I haven't felt this productive in years."

Danny felt a spark of jealousy at Mark's comment, one that he quickly squashed. Chances were that if Danny had to do the work himself, they wouldn't be into the house for months. "Maybe I can come by tomorrow and help."

"Already leaving Kara home with the baby, man? Smooth, real smooth," Frankie said.

"Okay, maybe not," Danny amended, chagrined that he was trying to make plans with the guys for J.P.'s first day home. _Idiot_. He and Kara had been staggering their trips to the hospital so that someone was with J.P. around the clock, and Danny generally took the night shifts so Kara could get a little sleep (between pumping sessions), leaving him free during the day to get things done. In only a few weeks it had become the new normal.

Frankie grabbed an apple off the table, poking at the car bed. "What is this thing anyway?"

"The new car seat," Danny replied, picking it up. "I was just about to install it. Want to help?"

"Sure." Munching on his apple, Frankie followed Danny down the stairs. "I thought you already had a car seat, though. What's that thing you've had in the back of your car for weeks?"

"A car seat," Danny replied with a sigh. "J.P. can't sit upright for long periods so he needs this special one. I thought Kara was going to cry when she realized that she had installed the car seat for nothing. Apparently it was a…stressful experience."

Frankie's eyebrows shot up and he began snickering. "The way Carlton tells it, Kara was in hysterics and Alisha was guzzling wine directly from the bottle."

"I will step aside and let her kick your ass if you so much as open your mouth around Kara about that car seat," Danny muttered darkly.

Frankie's mirth doubled. "Yes, _sir!_ "

Fifteen minutes later Danny had the old car seat out and had managed to hook the car bed into the back seat, but wasn't sure where all of the straps went. He was starting to understand why Kara had lost it. These instructions were ridiculous!

"What the hell does 'find lower strap and tether' mean?" He growled at Frankie, who was leaning against a post as he polished off a second apple.

"Seriously Green? You can build a bomb from spare parts but can't install a car seat?" Frankie mocked him.

"You do it if it's so easy," Danny snapped back.

"Bet you twenty bucks that I have it done in ten minutes," Frankie replied.

Danny checked his watch. Less than an hour until J.P. would be discharged. "You're on."

"Mr. Green?"

Halfway out of the car, Danny jumped, cracking his head on the roof at the unexpected voice behind him. Rubbing the sore spot, he turned to see a man in his mid-thirties with brown hair standing there. Although his hair was short, from his posture Danny could tell that the guy wasn't military. Shaking the offered hand, Danny tried unsuccessfully to place the man. This had been Kara's place before he moved in last fall and he still didn't know all of the neighbors.

"I wanted to say congratulations," the man continued. "A son, right?"

Danny gave the man a genuine smile. No matter how many times he heard the words, he never got tired of them. _A son_. "Yes, a boy. Thank you."

"I heard that he was in the hospital. How is he doing? Hopefully it's nothing serious."

Danny bristled at the rather personal inquiry before reminding himself that such questions were not considered rude here in Norfolk (although Danny himself would have been a dead man if his mother caught him asking something like that). Besides, many of their neighbors had dropped by to leave food and gifts during the past couple of weeks, showing their support as best they could. For all Danny knew, this man or his wife had done the same. Frankie smirked as he continued to lean against the pole, knowing how much questions from strangers about his private life annoyed Danny. "He's doing great. Should be coming home soon."

"You were with Doctor Scott in the Sudan, right? Are you afraid that you'll give your son the Red Flu?"

The question came out of nowhere. Danny's eyes narrowed and Frankie straightened, taking a step closer. Although stories about the Red Flu and the Navy's involvement in an alleged conspiracy had filled the news for the past few weeks, the spotlight had remained on Tom and Rachel – the Navy captain who had commanded the suspiciously timed trip to the Arctic and the researcher who had found the primordial strain. Nobody had seemed overly interested in Danny or Kara's involvement. They were too far down the food chain to gather much notice, having rated only a couple of phone calls and messages from reporters, which Danny had deleted after playing for Tom. As far as Danny could tell, the only real impact the leak had on him personally was that Rachel had been thrilled by the idea of bringing Dahab and Jean to the United States, using her various contacts to try to move them to the top of the list for visas. Rachel had even somehow convinced Amy Granderson to join the effort, getting her to promise to raise the issue with President Geller.

Danny had also noticed that dealing with the leak had forced Tom and Rachel to spent a lot of time together. Watching the two of them interact had been interesting and, although Kara rolled her eyes at the mere suggestion, Danny was fairly certain that there was a spark in Tom's eyes when he sparred with Rachel that never appeared when he was arguing with Commander Slattery.

"No," Danny answered firmly. "I'm not worried about infecting my son. The outbreak in the Sudan has been contained and I have been back in the United States for months."

The man stepped closer, his eyes glittering. "Are you sure it's not because you're immune to the Red Flu? Is your son – Joshua, right? – is he immune too?"

"Who are you?" Frankie growled.

"Jacob Barnes of the National News," the man replied, fishing a card out of his pocket and holding it out. Neither Danny nor Frankie took it. "We are offering a substantial sum for an exclusive interview about your role in developing a cure to the virus, Mr. Green, and it sounds like that cash might come in very handy right now with an infant in the hospital."

_Damn. It was a fricken' reporter._

He _knew_ that there was something off about this guy, but sleep deprivation and politeness had won out. Besides, how the hell had the man learned about his family being immune? Danny leaned towards Jacob, knowing how intimidating he could be, but despite having to crane his neck backwards, the man didn't look away.

"I have no further comment and, given this is private property, I suggest that you leave before I call the police."

Jacob set the card down on top of the car roof before backing away, a grin on his face, as though he knew something that they didn't. "I'm on my way, no need to call anyone. But remember my offer. Others may not be so lucrative."

Once Jacob disappeared from sight, Danny exchanged looks with Frankie.

_This was not good._


	23. Where Kara Talks to Debbie

 

"There's my handsome little guy!"

Kara looked up from the rocking chair where she was sitting as Debbie Foster approached, eyes glued on her grandson. J.P., by contrast, was oblivious to his grandmother's presence as he cuddled into Kara's shoulder, one fist against his cheek. The infant had just finished nursing and was more asleep than awake, his eyelids only fluttering slightly as Debbie leaned over to brush a hand over his head. Although Debbie's first visit to the hospital had gone poorly, with Kara in tears by the time that Berchem and Smith dragged Debbie out of the room, the woman had pulled it together and come back the next day ready to meet her grandson. Since then, Debbie had visited daily, typically stopping by after work, insisting that she could not possibly last a day away from the most handsome baby ever born.

As she had each time that Debbie made an appearance at the hospital, Kara surreptitiously sniffed her mother but, like every day for the past three weeks, there was not so much as a hint of alcohol on Debbie's breath or clothing.

It was a development that thrilled, and terrified, Kara. Thrilled her because Debbie had managed to go three weeks without getting sloshed (Kara had enough experience with her mother's benders to know immediately when Debbie was recovering from a night out). But it also terrified Kara, because this wasn't the first time that Debbie had promised to cut down the drinking – it wasn't even the first time she had done so – and it had always ended badly. No matter how adamant Debbie was that she would stop drinking, the alcohol always won, getting so bad over the last few years that Kara could count the times she had seen her mother sober in the year leading up to J.P.'s birth on one hand.

Since she was old enough to understand Debbie's addiction, Kara had tolerated Debbie's drinking as the price she paid to keep her mother in her life. But now Kara had more than herself to think about – she had J.P. And no matter how hard it would be to cut Debbie out, Kara would not let her mother hurt J.P. the way that she had hurt Kara. Because no matter how much Debbie loved her daughter, her carelessness and neglect while under the influence of alcohol, unintentionally as they might have been, left Kara with deep scars that she wasn't sure would ever entirely heal.

"I'm hoping that he will take a nice nap before Daddy arrives to take us home," Kara replied, brushing away the dark memories of the past. Standing, she swayed as she walked towards J.P.'s incubator, humming under her breath as she settled the infant.

Cassidy, one of the many nurses who was now on a first name basis with Kara, came by to make a note on J.P.'s chart. "J.P.'s up another ounce today, Kara. That puts him over six pounds. Now that he has figured out how to eat, he's growing like a champ!"

Kara smiled at the bubbly woman in her mid-twenties. In addition to being a natural with babies, Cassidy had the personality of a cheerleader and always found something positive to say when she came by to check on J.P. Actually, Cassidy reminded Kara a lot of Sarah and was unsurprised when the two women immediately hit it off, exchanging telephone numbers the first time that they met with plans to get together so the two, both of whom were engaged, could swap wedding ideas. "Danny should be here in about an hour to take us home. I thought I might pop downstairs to get something to eat. Do you want anything Mom?"

"You two should go together," Cassidy interrupted before Debbie could respond. "Soon enough J.P. will be home and demanding all of your attention, you should take advantage of the nursery while you can."

Kara glanced at her mother uncertainly but Debbie didn't hesitate, grabbing Kara's arm and tugging her towards the entrance. "You've become no more than skin and bones these past few weeks. You need to eat more if you want to keep up with that boy of yours."

"Yes, Mom," Kara replied with a roll of her eyes – she was in no way, shape or form all skin and bones, still sporting quite a bit of baby weight – but as they took the elevator down to the cafeteria, Kara could admit to herself that it was rather nice to have Debbie fussing over her.

After picking out their food, a tuna sandwich for Kara and a kale salad for Debbie, they found a table towards the back of the cafeteria where it was quieter. Sitting across from her mother, Kara really looked at Debbie for the first time in weeks, noticing the change in her mother's appearance. Although the rings under Debbie's eyes, which had been there for as long as Kara remembered, were still present, they were lighter, and Debbie's skin had a warmer tone than usual, despite minimal make-up. Continuing her scrutiny, Kara realized that Debbie's hair and nails were both freshly done and she was wearing what appeared to be a new outfit. Kara's heart sunk as she recognized all of the signs.

Debbie had found a new boyfriend.

"You look nice today, Mom," Kara said finally, breaking the silence. Part – most – of her wanted to ignore everything going on in Debbie's life to concentrate on J.P., but old habits died hard.

"Thank you." Debbie fiddled with her fork before taking a deep breath and setting down her silverware. "Actually, there is something that I wanted to talk to you about."

Kara braced herself, having seen that look on Debbie's face before, and knowing that it rarely meant good news. "Okay."

"I joined AA."

That was not the news Kara was expecting. She stared at her mother blankly. Debbie had always flat out refused to see anyone about her drinking, convinced that it was under control. The words tumbled out of Kara's mouth before she could stop them. "You what?"

"I joined AA – Alcoholics Anonymous," Debbie repeated, picking her fork up again only to set it down. "The day after J.P. was born. Steven convinced me to join, actually."

It occurred to Kara that she was being less than supportive and so, despite her utter confusion, she attempted to force a positive note into her voice. "I'm really glad to hear that, Mom. What does it have to do with Berchem, though?"

"You remember the day that he and Jason took me shopping?"

Kara held back a snort. _As if Berchem would ever let Danny forget that he was responsible for Jason and Steve spending three hours at Babies 'R Us looking at baby gear._ "Yes, J.P. is wearing one of the outfits you picked out right now. The one with the farm animals marching across the front with green booties."

"I knew you would love that one," Debbie replied, the corners of her lips lifting before her face became serious again. "Anyway, after we left the hospital, Steven gave me two choices. He said that I could suck it up and go buy the things you needed and be there for my daughter and grandson. Or I could keep feeling sorry for myself and he could drop me off at a bar and run the risk of never meeting J.P."

Kara sucked in a sharp breath, the sandwich she was eating forgotten. Berchem had _offered_ to take Debbie to a bar? What the hell was wrong with him! "He did _what_?"

Debbie actually chuckled, infuriating Kara further. "It was what I needed to hear, Kara. To be reminded that this wasn't about me. For years people ignored my drinking because I was the widow raising a child by myself and they felt sorry for me. And I accepted that. I thought that the world owed me something for killing Paul and leaving me alone. But Steven wasn't willing to tolerate my pity-party. He reminded me that this wasn't about me. It was about _you_. You and J.P. And what kind of mother would I be if I wasn't there to help you when you so desperately needed that support?"

"Oh Mom!" Tears streamed down Kara's face as she rose to give her mother a tight hug, still reeling from everything that Debbie had just told her. Not only from the news that Debbie had gone three weeks without a drink – although that was a first – but also because of why she had done so. To be there for Kara, for J.P. For the first time, Kara appreciated how very difficult it must have been for Debbie to go it alone. Over the past three weeks, Danny had been Kara's rock, silently making sure that everything that needed to be taken care of got done, allowing her to focus on J.P. She didn't want to think about what it would have been like to be here alone. "You were a good mother. We had a lot of good times."

"We had a lot of good times, but we also had a lot of bad times. I hurt you. I don't want to do that again." Debbie pulled away, returning to her seat and gesturing for Kara to do the same. "I haven't had a drop since that day, Kara. Not a single drop. Steven brought me to the first meeting and I have gone every day since. I have a wonderful sponsor. A man named Peter who owns a restaurant in town. He knows Alisha, actually. Funny how small Norfolk can be."

"I am so proud of you." The words came out as a whisper as Kara leaned back to study her mother's face.

"I know it is a long road, Kara. But I won't let you down this time. I promise."

And, for the first time in many years, Kara wanted to believed her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The click of the camera roused Danny from his nap.

"I'm not asleep you know," he grumbled.

"You were snoring," Kara pointed out, still gazing at the two of them. Danny was lounging on the couch, J.P. snuggled in his arms, head buried against Danny's neck as the two of them took a father-son snooze. With Kara and Danny taking turns spending time with J.P. at the hospital, Kara had not been given many opportunities to see Danny holding his son. Watching him handle the tiny infant so confidently was almost overwhelming.

Now fully awake, Danny began sitting up, still grumbling. "J.P.'s first game and the Red Sox are doing terribly! How is he supposed to develop a proper appreciation for the game when our boys are playing like middle schoolers? Damn Yankees. They're probably cheating."

Blinking away tears and cursing her erratic hormones, Kara joined Danny on the couch, laying her head on his unoccupied shoulder. "J.P. might grow up to be a Yankee's fan if they win his first game."

The scoffing sound that came out of Danny's mouth told her _exactly_ what he thought of that idea and he quickly switched channel to another game. "Only if he wants to be disowned. I _might_ tolerate the Royals, but that's as far as I am willing to bend on this one."

Kara chuckled. Danny had spent the last year unsuccessfully attempting to turn her into a Red Sox fan. She turned her head slightly so she could see his face. " Thank you for asking your family to give us this afternoon alone."

Danny shrugged, eyes on the television, although Kara knew he wasn't actually watching the game between the Angels and the Blue Jays, neither being teams that he followed. "I thought it would be nice to have some time alone, just the three of us. We're a family now, sweetheart."

"I know. I can hardly believe that he's finally here." The past three weeks had been surreal, spending hours a day at the hospital before leaving her son and returning to an empty apartment. If it wasn't for her aching body and utter exhaustion, which assured her that she was not asleep, Kara would have thought that she wasn't dreaming. "But don't think I missed Frankie standing watch outside the garage. Are you going to tell me why he's there?"

Danny groaned, and Kara suspected that Frankie was going to be on the receiving end of a long lecture tonight. "It's no big deal. Some asshole reporter cornered me in the garage this morning when I was installing the car bed. Which, by the way, was a complete pain in the ass." Kara smiled smugly. She _had_ warned him. "He knew that I was immune to the Red Flu and asked about J.P. I already put in a call to Tom and Rachel and they are setting up a meeting Monday or Tuesday to discuss a response. You should plan to be there."

"He was probably fishing," Kara replied after a short pause. Although both she and Danny had received a few calls from reporters, this was the first time that someone had approached one of them in person. Still, it was a good excuse to see Rachel. They saw Tom frequently, as he came by the hospital every few days, but they hadn't seen Rachel since the day after J.P.'s birth, when she returned to D.C. to deal with the developing scandal in addition to her "usual duties." Kara didn't know exactly what Rachel did, but given that she was the foremost expert on the Red Flu and several other exotic viruses, Kara suspected that it was both important and top-secret. "I doubt that I will be going out much now that J.P. is home. A guard isn't necessary, Danny."

"Just for a few days, Kara, until we know what this guy is up to," Danny replied. "It doesn't need to be one of the guys. It just needs to be someone who can distract the reporter if you and J.P. need to get away. My parents are fine. Actually, my dad is perfect. He can drone on for hours about the most mind-numbing topics. As a kid I thought I might actually die of boredom when he got started."

Kara laughed. Although the idea of being assigned a "guard" rankled, having an extra set of hands the first few times out of the house with a baby might not be a bad idea.

"Okay," she replied. "But _only_ until Tom and Rachel figure out a strategy to deal with that reporter."

The issue settled, Danny and Kara sat silently, listening to the small cooing noises that J.P. made in his sleep. After a few minutes Danny flipped the game back to the one he actually wanted to watch, muttering under his breath as he took in the score. Kara wiggled, stretching out her legs on the couch as she tried to find a more comfortable position.

"Is something bothering you? You seem a little … tense." Danny spoke hesitantly, as though he was afraid the question would upset her. Kara couldn't blame him. She had been rather emotional the past couple of weeks, dealing with crazy hormones and lack of sleep and the stress of having J.P. at the hospital, and she had snapped at Danny more than once.

"I had lunch with my mother. She told me that she joined AA. She hasn't had a drink in three weeks."

Danny shifted, turning so he could see Kara's face. Although she tended to brush over the less pleasant parts of her childhood, Danny had been around Debbie long enough to have an idea of what growing up with her was like. Sober, Debbie was a warm, enthusiastic, and animated woman. Drunk, she became incredibly sensitive to any perceived censure, reduced to tears at the drop of a hat, and completely unrestrained, often throwing herself at random men. "That sounds like good news."

Kara reached out to touch J.P.'s button nose. The love that she felt for her son was overpowering – there was nothing that she would not do to keep him safe and healthy. "It is but…"

"But you don't really believe her."

"No." They returned to their former position with Danny pulling Kara closer to his chest.

"I guess we'll just have to take it one day at a time," Danny said, stroking his hand down Kara's arm until her tension eased.

Exhaustion pulled at Kara as the warmth from Danny's body seeped into her and she felt her eyes drifting closed. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not trying to sugar-coat it," Kara replied. "Or telling me that I need to be supportive."

She felt him rest his chin on her head, his breath ruffling her hair. "I don't need to tell you to support your mother. You've always been there for her. That isn't going to change."

Kara tipped her head back to look up at Danny. "It's nice, being here together."

Danny grimaced. "I would agree, but my arm is asleep from holding J.P. upright so long."

Laughing, Kara stood and eased the baby into her arms. "I guess it's time to try out that swing your Mom insisted was the best thing ever invented."

Two minute later, transfer successful and the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star playing as the swing gently rocked J.P., Kara returned to her prior position, feeling that all was right in her world as she sat on the couch with her husband, her son sleeping peacefully across the room, and watched the Yankees slaughter the Red Sox.


	24. Where Mrs. Granderson gets Involved

 

Danny dashed up the stairs towards the conference room on the fifth floor of the large building, silently cursing as the antique grandfather clock in the lobby struck thirteen hundred before he hit the second flight. When leaving the apartment this morning, he anticipated having plenty of time to handle a few things at Little Creek before meeting up with Kara, Commander Chandler and Doctor Scott for a strategy meeting about Jacob Barnes' impromptu visit. Plenty of time, that was, until the meeting was moved forward two hours to accommodate Amy Granderson's schedule. Apparently Barnes' front-page story on the Red Flu and the Nathan James' clandestine trip to the Arctic (a story Danny featured in prominently) had garnered quite of bit of attention on the Hill, and Mrs. Granderson was now coordinating the press response for both the White House and the Navy.

Skidding to a stop before the elaborate conference room, Danny took a moment to straighten his BDUs while the kid on guard – who couldn't be more than eighteen – examined his credentials as thoroughly as if this were the Oval Office. Trying to stifle his impatience, Danny wondered whether Kara was here. She had been loath to leave J.P. and only agreed to attend at all after Danny pointed out that not only had his parents successfully raised three children, but his mother had graduated from medical school.

Her reluctance _had_ made Danny wonder what would happen when it was time for Kara to go back to work and leave J.P. at the highly rated child care facility that the two of them had chosen together – one which Kara now referred to as the germ factory. Kara had always insisted that she wasn't cut out to be a stay-at-home mother, but how would she leave a child for months when a two-hour meeting was a struggle?

Entering unobtrusively, not wanting to highlight his tardiness, Danny was reassured to see Kara sitting on the other side of the room, no obvious signs of distress. If anything, she looked too composed, reminding him of the early days on the Nathan James, before he learned to read the minute changes in her expression.

Making his way around the large table, Danny snagged the empty seat between Kara and Dennis Milowsky, someone he wasn't expecting to see today. Of course, there were a lot of unexpected, and unfamiliar, faces here. Far from being the small brain-storming session that Danny was anticipating, the room contained close to thirty people. Other than Tom, Rachel, Quincy Tophet, Dennis and Kara, the only person he recognized was Amy Granderson. Most of the strangers, who presumable worked for the White House or the CDC, wore civilian clothing and, although nobody had told him to dress up, Danny felt rather out of place in his BDUs.

Since they were both in uniform, Danny made sure to keep his hand hidden under the table as he reached over to touch Kara's arm, gaining her attention. Cocking his head to the side, he tried to silently convey his question. With a small smile, Kara nodded, indicating that she was okay.

"Lieutenant Green, do you have any idea how Jacob Barnes obtained so much information about your involvement in this matter?" Amy Granderson's voice was sharp, and Danny gave a silent groan. As soon as he saw the news this morning he knew that he was going to be on the hotseat. The article had made him sound like a modern version of a Typhoid Mary, running around Norfolk infecting everyone he came in contact with.

"Unfortunately not, ma'am," Danny replied, keeping his voice even. "He ambushed Lieutenant Benz and me outside of my apartment several days ago, at which time he was already aware that I was immune."

But Mrs. Granderson was not so easily satisfied. Her gaze skipped back and forth between Danny and Kara. "Neither of you shared that information with the medical professionals caring for your son?"

"We disclosed Lieutenant Green's recent return from the West Sudan, of course," Kara explained, amusing Danny with her formality, "but they were satisfied with the letter of medical clearance that the CDC provided him upon his return to the States."

"A smart doctor or nurse or even an aide could easily put two and two together and figure out what Lieutenant Green's purpose in the Sudan was," Mrs. Granderson responded. Not for the first time, Danny wondered how a woman as shrewd and self-interested as Amy managed to have a daughter as thoughtful and trustworthy as Alisha.

Before Mrs. Granderson could argue further, Tom spoke up. "The hospital in question was a naval facility and all personnel are aware of the penalties for leaking information." He paused, making sure that Amy Granderson did not intent to belabor the point before continuing. "It seems more likely that Jacob Barnes is obtaining his information from the same person as Valkyrie."

"Besides, the hospital personnel would have no means of knowing that Lieutenant Green and his son were immune to the virus as that testing was handled exclusively by the CDC," Rachel added

Mrs. Granderson leaned forward, eyes pinned on Rachel. "And the medical files that Jacob Barnes obtained were not provided to the Pentagon, deliberately, due to concerns about the leak, isn't that correct Doctor Scott?"

If Rachel was shaken by the grilling she didn't show it. "You're correct. The materials provided to the Pentagon did not provide any identifying information on Lieutenant Green or mention his son."

Trying unsuccessfully to hide a triumphant smile as Dennis swapped uneasy glances with Quincy, Mrs. Granderson shifted her attention to a tall, thin man with dark curls who Danny vaguely recalled seeing in the building where Kara worked. He was an expert in computer security who worked with NCIS. So NCIS was involved, probably JAG too. Damn this thing was out of control!

"Mr. Avayla, please tell us the status of your investigation into the breach of security," Mrs. Granderson prompted.

Avayla shifted, plainly reluctant to do so, but finally began speaking. "As you know, we have been investigating how the information on Project Bluenose and crew files was leaked to Valkyrie for the past several months. We have determined that this information was obtained from inside the Pentagon by someone familiar with the system, rather than hacked from the outside. Upon discovering the leak, we attempted to find the source without success. As a precautionary measure, however, we made several changes to the security system and the transferred the two primary suspects to alternative positions. Neither of them have any access to CDC records."

"Which means, ladies and gentleman, we are looking for two separate sources. One from the Pentagon and one in the CDC," Mrs. Granderson concluded grandly. "Now, tell me, how do we find them?"

"We can throw the reporter in jail until he gives up his source." One of the suits interjected.

Amy Granderson shook her head. "Barnes is a big believer in journalistic integrity, whatever that is. He's made it clear that he will go to jail rather than reveal a source. But we can't be sure that he had direct contact with either source anyway. No, Barnes is a fake-out. The real information is with Valkyrie. Which is why we are going to offer both Valkyrie and Mr. Barnes a deal. Immunity from prosecution for the first to reveal their source, as well as exclusive interviews with Commander Chandler, Doctor Scott and Lieutenant Green."

"But, ma'am..."

The poor man only got two words out before Mrs. Granderson cut him off. "President Gallery approved of my proposal this morning. Any questions?"

And then Amy Granderson sat calmly drinking her coffee as the room exploded in chaos.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Plan hashed out, the meeting finally broke up two hours later. Standing with the intent of escaping as swiftly as possible, Danny was surprised when Dennis Milowsky stopped him. "Hold on a minute, Danny. I have something for you and Kara."

"For J.P., really," Dennis clarified as retrieved the brightly colored package from the corner of the room. "Rebecca was hoping to give this to you in person but we weren't sure when we would see you. Congratulations again."

"This is so kind of you," Kara said, removing the tissue paper to reveal some sort of chair that Danny had no idea what to do with.

"Yes, well," Dennis shifted awkwardly. "I also have some news. I'm leaving the CDC."

"You are?" Danny replied, shocked. Dennis had worked for the CDC for close to twenty years, since completion his medical residency. From stories he told Danny in the West Sudan, the man loved his job – and never wanted to do anything else.

"I was offered a position in Hartford and decided to accept it. I'm hoping to make Connecticut my permanent home, perhaps start a family of my own someday," Dennis explained, a slight flush coloring the edge of his cheeks.

Kara was the first to react. "That's wonderful news Dennis. I'm sure that Rebecca will be thrilled to have you closer."

"I won't be working with you anymore, Danny, but I hope we will see you next time you are up visiting," Dennis replied before adding, enthusiastically. "Maybe we'll do a ski weekend again."

"Not sure we'll be doing any skiing this year," Danny began – last year might have worked out in the end but there were some hairy moments – only to be cut off by his wife.

"But we will definitely look you up next time we are near Cornwall," Kara finished smoothly.

Once Dennis departed, after a few more minutes of chit-chat, Danny leaned towards Kara. "Sorry I didn't have time to come pick you up. Was it tough leaving the little guy?"

"Actually it's been surprisingly nice to have a couple of hours to myself. Be able to drink a coffee that's still hot," Kara admitted, and Danny could tell that she was sincere. She actually seemed far more relaxed than she usually did in the late afternoon. "Although I have rethought our child care situation and come up with a solution. Sarah."

Danny was lost. "Sarah Hansen?"

"Yes, she suggested it and I love the idea. She's planning to become a stay-at-home once she and Alisha start their family anyway; this just gives her some practice. And it means we can keep J.P. away from other kids until he's older. Honestly I can't believe we didn't think of it before."

Danny blinked. It really _was_ the perfect solution, except for one thing. "Nannies are usually expensive. Can we afford that?"

Kara smirked. "We can at the family rate. It will be cheaper than the Montessori. Alisha insisted."

Danny raised his eyebrows. "Damn I got lucky when they assigned me to the Nathan James. Girl of my dreams _and_ her fixer. Is there any problem Alisha can't solve?"

"Let's not push our luck." Kara replied, picking up the gift bag. "This was incredible nice of Dennis and Rebecca."

Danny was instantly wary at the mention of his ex-girlfriend. "You know we don't have to see them if it makes you uncomfortable?"

Kara cocked her head to the side. "Should I be? Dennis obviously doesn't mind you spending time with Rebecca."

Danny dropped his voice as he leaned towards her. "I didn't marry Dennis. I married you. Which means I care a hell of a lot more about what you think."

"I think that I'm happy for them. They obviously care a great deal about each other." Kara replied decisively. She paused, her gaze fixed on something behind him before glancing up to his face, a smirk forming. "And I think you might have been right about something else. Dennis has it bad – but he's not the only one."

Glancing in the direction Kara was indicating, it took Danny a moment to notice anything askew as the only people left in the room were Tom and Rachel. Nothing askew, that was, until Rachel's hand landed casually on Tom's knee. Biting down on his lip, Danny winked at Kara.

"Told you so."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny held back a groan as he checked the time. 1710. He needed to leave twenty minutes ago to have any hope of missing rush-hour traffic, but he was only a third of the way through his paperwork. Frankie had taken over the team's physical training while J.P. was in the hospital and Danny was out, but the pile of paperwork hadn't been touched and just kept getting higher. To have any hope of staying on track for promotion and a pay raise, Danny knew that he needed to put some extra time – starting tonight. Pulling out his phone to text Kara, Danny was surprised to see Kara's name pop up.

He immediately answered. "Kara?"

She sounded breathless. "Tom just called. He needs to meet us ASAP."

"Did he say why?" Danny asked, confused why Tom hadn't called him directly.

"Remember how Alisha asked her mother to help smooth the visa process and Mrs. Granderson took the matter to President Geller?"

Yes."

"Well, she came through bigtime. Dahab and Jean are on their way. They'll be here tomorrow. "


	25. Where Danny Plays Charades

 

"Danny!"

Jean came tearing across the room as soon as Danny walked through the door, a bundle of energy as always. "Hey buddy. Did you get your gift?"

"Je t'aime, Danny. Thank you," Jean replied, beaming as he held up the baseball and tiny glove with a huge smile. Although the boy's English was growing by leaps and bounds, he was only two and often slipped back into his native French or combined English and French words in the same sentence, making him almost impossible to follow. Not that the child seemed to care as he continued to jabber on about baseball, switching back and forth between languages, not appearing to expect any response from Danny other than the occasional nod and smile.

Danny sat down in the chair on his side of the airtight plastic barrier that split the room from wall to wall and floor to ceiling, happy to see that the child had put on some weight since the last time Danny visited. Upon Jean and Dahab's arrival in the States, Danny had been unpleasantly surprised to learn that they would be quarantined for thirty days due to health concerns – concerns grounded more in fear of the Red Flu than any scientific basis, something that Amy Granderson brushed off as the cost of political compromise. Concerned about how Dahab would handle the isolation, Danny had suggested that the two stay with him and Kara at the new house but, surprisingly, Rachel was the one to veto that idea. She wasn't worried about the Red Flu of course, given that Danny and J.P. were immune and Kara had received the vaccine, but she was concerned that exposing a premature infant to the germs of a toddler from a third world country. So, instead, Jean and his father had spent the last twenty-eight days living in a small rental house in Virginia, courtesy of a local church group who were fronting the cost of the house and other living expenses, separated from their visitors by a plastic wall.

"As soon as you and your father can leave the house, I'll take you to the park and we can play baseball together," Danny promised.

Dahab nodded formally to Danny as he took a seat on the other side of the barrier, sitting ramrod straight at the edge of the chair. Unlike his son, Dahab was still struggling with basic English so, unless Rachel was around to translate, communication was limited to nods and smiles and hand gestures until Danny felt like he was playing Charades. After allowing Jean to continue chattering about baseball for several minutes, Dahab shooed the boy away.

"Do you and Jean need anything?" Danny asked as the child busied himself with a set of blocks. Although the church was responsible for delivering premade meals twice a week (one of the first things Rachel had done was show Dahab how to use the microwave), Danny and Frankie took turns delivering other essentials, like dish soap and shampoo, and some non-essentials, like the baseball and glove.

"No, no, many things have." Dahab shook his head, gesturing around him. "You good? Family?" He added, mimicked rocking an infant.

Danny smiled brightly and gave two thumbs up, a gesture that Anders (of all people) had taught the man when he made a surprising visit to check on Jean. "Good. Very good."

And J.P. was. Now almost three months old, the infant was flourishing, having put on two pounds and grown out of not just his preemie, but also his newborn size clothing.

"Wife?" Dahab continued, the word almost impossible to understand.

"She's good too."

Surprisingly good, actually. When Kara's maternity leave ended the week before, Danny had been on eggshells, expecting … well, he wasn't quite sure what he was expecting but it certainly wasn't for everything to go smoothly. Other than a few tears the first day she dropped J.P. off with Sarah, however, Kara seemed to have made the adjustment seamless. In fact, Kara appeared to be enjoying her time away from the baby, mentioning on several occasions how nice it was to drink a cup of coffee while it was still hot. Danny knew that being able to visit J.P. at lunch (since Sarah and Alisha lived only minutes from the base) was making the transition somewhat easier, and his mother had warned him that there might be some up and downs, but for now Danny was willing to admit that most of his concerns about Kara working had been wrong.

Something that Frankie and Steve liked to remind him about – often.

"House?" Dahab asked, his hands moving in the shape of a box.

Danny tipped his head to the side as he tried to think of a way to simply convey the situation with the house. Finally he shrugged. Although the major renovations – stripping carpets and refinishing floors and some kitchen repairs – were done, the work had slowed to a crawl once Mark left for Connecticut. Between catching up on paperwork, dealing with J.P.'s various appointments, visiting Dahab and Jean, and accommodating Mrs. Granderson's continuing "requests", there just wasn't enough time in a day. Some days Danny wondered whether he and Kara would be stuck in a one bedroom apartment tip toeing around a sleeping baby for years. "Still working on it."

"Me help?" Dahab asked, an eager tone to his voice.

Danny straightened, staring at the other man. With limited job options, Dahab's suggestion made sense, but first they would need to make sure it didn't somehow violate the terms of Dahab's visa which, due to the President's personal interest, was not exactly standard. Thankfully, Amy Granderson's office had handled the original paperwork and one of her lackeys was usually around to help with the legalities. "I would like that. I'll talk to Mrs. Granderson."

Any response that Dahab might have made was interrupted as Rachel swept into the room, carrying the hazmat suit that she wore when crossing into Dahab and Jean's side of the house. Following her was Ayala the computer forensics guy, weighted down by a laptop and several boxes.

"Oh, good, you're here Danny," Rachel said cheerfully. "Mrs. Granderson just rang. The deal with Valkyrie has been inked. Interviews are being set up for next Wednesday."

Rachel turned towards the plastic barrier, speaking in rapid French, presumably repeating the news to Dahab. Danny blinked. "That's pretty quick."

"Yes, Valkyrie's sources won't be revealed until after the interviews are done to ensure full cooperation," Rachel replied, sounding almost amused. "Her lawyer drove a hard bargain."

"So Mrs. G wants Dahab and Jean there?" Danny asked, glancing through the plastic at the man and child, who had wandered off to build a tower of blocks that he promptly knocked over. While Danny had always known that there was going to be a quid pro quo for Mrs. Granderson's assistance in bringing the duo to the United States, the idea of parading Jean before a series of cameras left Danny with a sour taste in his mouth.

Ayala snorted. "As if there was ever any doubt. Granderson may be cold as ice, but she knows what makes people tick. And a story about a SEAL with a baby on the way saving a sick toddler, well that is going to sell like hotcakes. Valkyrie doesn't know who she is dealing with."

Noticing Danny's grimace, Rachel smiled indulgently. "He's right about the story that Granderson is selling. And that baseball you gave Jean? I wouldn't be surprised if a picture of you and Jean playing catch ends up as the cover picture on every story."

"She has that much influence on the media?"

Ayala shuddered. "That woman has her claws in everything. I'm just glad she's on our side. She would be one scary enemy."


	26. Where Valkyrie Makes an Appearance

 

"Why did I agree to do this again?" Kara grumbled as she sat bouncing J.P. and giving the evil eye to the woman from Mrs. Granderson's entourage who was currently leaning over Danny and giving him a rather direct view down the front of her gaping shirt. Fortunately for his lifespan, Danny had the decency to close his eyes rather quickly.

Sarah giggled. "Because you don't want to piss off your best friend's mother four months before the wedding?"

"The woman is worse than a drill sergeant. No wonder Alisha sailed through the Academy," Kara muttered. "It was probably like a vacation after life with Amy."

"She's not that bad," Sarah countered.

Kara gave her friend an even glance. "Do you see what I look like? She made me take down my hair because she said it was too severe. I'm wearing more make-up than a Las Vegas prostitute and my feet are stuffed into three inch heels that are a half size too small so that Danny won't 'tower over me.' Oh, and now the make-up person is _plucking Danny's eyebrows_ because she thought they looked too bushy in the pictures."

Sarah giggled again as she glanced over at Danny, who was pursuing his lips like he had just eaten a lemon. "They were rather out of control."

Kara turned to the other woman, narrowing her eyes. "If she's this bad now, just imagine what she'll be like at the wedding."

Sarah gave a slight shudder, and then shrugged. "She can change the venue, redo the décor, and invite whoever the hell she wants. All I care about is that she shows up."

Kara reached over to touch Sarah's arm. "She'll be there. She loves Alisha even if she's having trouble accepting that she's marrying a woman."

That, and there was no way Amy Granderson would ruin her public image by skipping her only daughter's wedding. Not when her daughter-in-law to be was related to a United States senator, a man who could certainly be an asset to Amy during her upcoming run for a seat in the House of Representatives. Kara didn't want to be cynical, but she did suspect that it was the possibility of negative press rather than the risk of alienating her daughter, which was responsible for Amy's somewhat reluctant agreement to both attend the wedding and to walk Alisha down the aisle. Amy's offer to provide and pay for the wedding photographer seemed to confirm Kara's suspicions, and she strongly suspected that pictures from the wedding would be leaked to the press during strategic moments in Mrs. Granderson's campaign.

"Mrs. Green? We're ready for you." The photographer's assistant cooed at J.P. as Kara stood up, continuing to jiggle the infant. "How old is your son?"

"Three months," Kara replied.

"He's small," the woman responded, sounding surprised.

"He was early."

"Ah. A preemie." The woman nodded knowingly. "That explains why your husband was so worried about germs. Well, we'll try to get the pictures done quickly so your friend can take him home before anyone else arrives."

"Thank you."

Fifty mind-numbing minutes later, Sarah and J.P. were on their way and Kara was ready to collapse. The photographer must have taken a thousand pictures – Kara and Danny, Danny and J.P., Kara and J.P., sitting, standing, standing on their heads, the list went on and on – and they still had interviews to get through. Despite her exhaustion and aching feet, Kara felt her spirits lift when Thomas Chandler, who was as punctual as always, entered the room with Rachel, Dahab and Jean.

" _Danny!"_

The two-year old tore across the space and grabbed onto Danny's leg, talking excitedly about… something (despite having seen the child several times since he and his father were released from isolation, Kara still had difficulty understanding Jean), as the photographer continued to snap pictures. "Hey buddy!"

"Jean!" Dahab continued speaking and, although Kara couldn't comprehend the words, she got the gist. Jean was being scolded. Looking downcast, Jean turned to Kara. "Hello, Mrs. Danny."

"Hello Jean," Kara replied, smiling at the little boy, finding it impossible to picture this rambunctious toddler sick to the point of death. "Give me five."

Jean squealed as he leaned forward. "High five!"

"If that was staged for my benefit it didn't work."

Even before Mrs. Granderson's top minion rushed across the room, Kara knew exactly who was standing in the doorway.

_Valkyrie_

Still, the woman was something of a surprise. Being female made Valkyrie an oddity among hackers, but what stood out to Kara was how young this woman was. She looked no older than twenty-five. That was _very_ young to have done everything that Valkyrie was accused of doing – hacking in to the Pentagon and the CDC, tracking the spread of the Red Flu from its inception, creating a website that caught the attention of Jacob Barnes and then the world. She also looked nothing like what Kara had pictured, coming across more as a hipster with her orange dreads and converse shoes than a social outcast who dedicated her life to trolling around the dark web. Had she seen this woman on the street, Kara would have pegged her as a graduate student at an Ivy League school.

"Ms. Raymond." One of Granderson's token lawyers – Kara thought his name was Todd – began corralling the group back through the door. "If you could just follow me, the interviews will take place down the hall."

Before Todd could get the group moving, however, Jacob Barnes pushed his way through the door, drawing an instant scowl from Danny. He had been less than pleased when Valkyrie insisted on including Barnes in a group immunity deal, although Kara rather admired the woman's loyalty. "I was expecting to be present during the photo shoots."

"The only pictures taken before your arrival were of Joshua Green. Due to his age and fragile medical condition, his parents requested that his exposure to strangers be limited," Todd said smoothly, much more smoothly than Kara would have expected given how anxious the man appeared. "As agreed, you'll be provided with copies of all pictures taken, as well as be present for all interviews."

The older gentleman following Valkyrie frowned as he took in the room. "That was not discussed during our negotiations."

"It was a condition of my participation in this … process," Danny replied in a deceptively pleasant tone, one that Kara knew meant he was grinding his teeth.

"One that was apparently not disclosed to us," the older man began, only to be cut off by Valkyrie.

"Come on Dad, give it a rest. Nobody wants to listen to some kid screaming through an interview anyway."

_Dad?_ The woman was being represented by her _father_? Maybe she _was_ a graduate student.

Valkyrie tossed her hair. "Besides, these can't be the people we're here to meet. They all look like models. You, lady, what's your name?"

Kara realized with some amusement that Valkyrie was speaking to her. "Lieutenant Kara Green."

Valkyrie gave her the once over. "You're the one that got knocked up in the Arctic? You certainly don't look like you just had a baby. Shouldn't you still be fat?"

Despite the outrage on Danny's face, Kara found herself amused by Valkyrie's bluntness. "Lieutenant Green and I had a professional relationship until after the Nathan James returned from our mission to the Arctic. And as for my figure, I'm going to choose to take that as a compliment. So thank you."

"Uh-huh. Professional relationship? But you had a baby eight months later? I _can_ count."

"Our son was born prematurely," Danny interjected.

"Whatever." Valkyrie rolled her eyes. She shifted her attention to Rachel. "You're supposed to be Rachel Scott? I want to talk to you first."

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. "Before I say a single word, I want to know who at the CDC leaked the information about my research."

"Ms. Scott…." Mr. Raymond began.

" _Doctor_ Scott," Rachel interrupted, eyes flashing. Kara had only seen this woman furious a few times, but today was definitely one of those times.

"Doctor Scott," the man began again, "the arrangement we reached with the United States Government states that you will provide us with your full cooperative in advance of us having to provide the source of our information."

Rachel didn't respond, staring directly at Valkyrie. A minute passed, and then two, with the two women locked in a silent struggle.

Finally Valkyrie shrugged. "Whatever. It's not like you are going to be straight with me anyway."

"Val…"

Valkyrie cut her father off again. "It was a research assistant named Niels Sorenson. He told me all about your plan to add a human gene to the virus. I'm no virologist, but I understood enough to realize that your plan would have killed billions. And I'm going to expose it."


	27. Where Conspiracy Theories Abound

 

"Do you have any idea how _dangerous_ this man is?"

Rachel fumed as she paced back and forth across the space, stopping before Valkyrie with her hands on her hips, stabbing her finger against one of the pictures that the hacker had produced – or, more accurately, her father had produced following threats of jail time for participating in a conspiracy to produce bioweapons and engaging in domestic terrorism. "He's trying to introduce a _human gene_ into the virus. If that succeeds, it would change the entire structure of the virus. It would be _more_ lethal! The vaccine that we have would be useless against such a mutation!"

"I _know_ that," Valkyrie snapped back. "Why do you think that I'm so determined to expose your plan?"

"Argh! How many times do I have to tell you that _that was not my plan!_ " Rachel actually threw her hands into the air as she turned away from the woman, muttering what sounded like dire threats half under her breath. Kara was considering intervening when her phone pinged.

"It's from Sarah," she murmured, tilting the phone so Danny could see.

_No problem keeping J.P. I have four more bottles and another 20 ounces in the freezer._

"Too bad," Danny muttered. Kara arched an eyebrow at him. "Hanging with J.P. beats the hell out of staying here."

"We're here because we might be infected with some new version of the Red Flu," Kara said sternly.

"Death is preferable to being stuck in this room much longer," Danny retorted.

"That's not funny," Kara hissed, although she secretly agreed.

_Three hours in this room was hell._

Upon learning of Niels' efforts to modify the virus, and discovering that Valkyrie had met the man in person, Rachel had instituted an immediate quarantine of everyone who came into contact with Valkyrie. Unfortunately, that meant Danny and Kara were stuck here with Valkyrie (whose name, it turned out, was actually Valerie, the daughter of two lawyers raised in Northern California, a backstory that Kara found to be disappointingly common), Mr. Raymond, Jacob Barnes, Tom, Rachel, Dahab, Jean, Todd the anxious lawyer, two random Granderson stooges, the photographer and his assistant, the make-up artist, and two really unlucky security guards. Quincy, who happened to be running late and therefore was able to avoid exposure, was in the process of testing their blood for any sign of a mutated virus. Setting aside her relief over the fact that J.P. had left before Valerie arrived, the best thing that Kara could say about the current situation was that Jean really liked Curious George, and was happily watching his eighth or ninth episode.

"Ms. Raymond," Tom said, stepping in before Rachel decked the woman, "I assure you that neither the Navy nor the CDC had anything to with Mr. Sorenson's actions. Our mission to the Arctic was purely a research trip with the intent of obtaining the primordial strain for the purpose of creating a vaccine. Mr. Sorenson is obviously a deranged individual and any information you can provide as to his location would be of great assistance."

During his last update, Quincy had informed them that, although the FBI and NCIS were in the process of tracking the man down, Niels Sorenson was still on the loose, having skipped town the day prior, most likely warned of the coming danger by Valerie or Jacob.

_And possibly spreading the mutated Red Flu across the country or even the world._

"Of course you would say that," Valerie scoffed. "Sorenson told me all about your plan to claim the mutation was a random occurrence."

"And you believed him?" Rachel demanded.

"Well, I already knew most of the story. Before anyone even heard of the Red Flu, I was tracking it. I saw it appear in the Sudan and Syria and North Korea. I saw the government deny that there was a plague and I knew that they were behind the spread. How else can you explain it showing up only in countries on the US watch list? That's why I created Valkyrie. To expose the truth."

"The virus started in _Egypt_ and spread from there to the Sudan and Syria. Just like it spread from China to North Korea. There is no conspiracy!" For a second Kara thought Rachel might actually stomp her foot.

As Kara watched, Tom's hand rose to gently rub Rachel's back, causing the scientist to noticeably calm. Kara nudged Danny. "Looks like she's outsmarted us. But she forgot the most important part of the conspiracy – the only way we were able to spread the flu so quickly. Think we should tell her?"

Val leaned towards Tom, her interest completely engaged for the first time all day. "How did you do it?"

"The aliens," Tom explained, straight-faced. "From planet batshit crazy. They were sneezing all over the place."

Val jumped to her feet, her finger wagging. "That's what you people always do! Just another conspiracy nut. Whack job – right? Well I'll tell you something. I got my masters in computer science from MIT at twenty-one, my PhD in engineering physics from Tulane at twenty-five, and Valkyrie, the network that I created to get out the truth, has six million untraceable subscribers worldwide."

"For now," Rachel interrupted.

"What?"

"I said six million subscribers _for now_. If you don't tell us how to find Sorenson, most of those subscribers could be dead in a matter of weeks," Rachel replied.

A shocking silence filled the room.

Unfortunately, Val recovered quickly. "Don't try to put this on me! You're the one that _hired_ Sorenson to work with _contagious diseases_. You think he's a nutjob? Well, he's a nutjob you created."

The jab worked, Rachel's eyes closing, hands clenching into fists. Checking her watch, Kara stood, picking up her backpack, and headed towards Rachel. "I need to take a quick break. Do you want to join me?"

"Oh no. If I'm stuck in this room, you are as well," Val snapped. "Either you stay here, or I'm going with you."

"I wouldn't recommend that," Jacob said, causing everyone to turn to look at him. The man had been surprisingly quiet while Rachel and Valerie sparred, probably gathering select tidbits to publish once they were finally released. Given how high tensions were, Mrs. Granderson would have her work cut out for her when this story hit the press.

"What? Scared to stay here by yourself?" Val sneered.

"No, but given your aversion to bodily fluids, you may not enjoy watching Mrs. Green pump breast milk."

" _What?"_

Kara giggled as Val turned a disturbing shade of green. Jacob smirked. "Unless I'm mistaken, that backpack contains a breast pump. My wife has the same one."

"Very observant of you, Mr. Barnes," Kara replied, fighting a smile. She turned to Val. "You are welcome to join us, of course. It's been several weeks since I had milk squirt unexpectedly so you should be safe."

For a moment Kara thought that Valerie might actually vomit. "Actually, I think I might have some ideas about where Sorenson went. I should probably talk to Commander Chandler about that."

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"She's right, you know."

"Well, it would be impossible for her not to be right about something given how much talking she is doing," Kara pointed out while she slowing cleaned the tubing for her pump, not excited about returning to the group and listening to more of Val's drivel.

"About Sorenson, I mean. I should never have hired him. It was a favor for a friend, Jonas Lindblom. Niels was one of Jonas's graduate students but he was struggling. Jonas asked me if I would give Niels a job here in the States. Jonas thought that a new start closer to his fiancée might help Niels regain his focus."

Kara stopped what she was doing to focus on Rachel. "None of this is your fault, Rachel. You were the one to find the vaccine – to find the cure. If it wasn't for you, Dahab and Jean would be dead right now along with thousands of other people. Valkyrie's just trying to get under your skin. She's angry at the world and you are her scapegoat."

"I wish that were true, but I knew. Quincy warned me that there was something off about the man, but I didn't take it seriously. I didn't want to. I wanted to believe that it was just a simple issue of Niels struggling with being far away from his fiancée…." Rachel stopped, eyes widening. "I have to tell Tom."

Kara scrambled to close her jacket and gather her equipment as Rachel yanked open the door and dashed down the hall. "What's going on?"

"The fiancée. She worked for the Norwegian embassy. She would have known about the Nathan James' trip to the Arctic because we had to pass through Norwegian territorial waters. She's the source of the second leak."


	28. Where Frankie Tells a Story

 

J.P. was almost asleep, lulled by the sound of Alisha's humming, when the front door to the Green house swung open without warning and Berchem came charging into the room, followed by Benz, Smith, Cruz, Nishioka, and a slightly dazed looking Miller.

Kara glanced over at Alisha with a resigned shake of her head. So much for their plan to catch up on a quiet Sunday morning. "Did you forget where you lived Steven?"

Berchem waved a newspaper over his head gleefully. "Look what we have! Hot off the press! Danny! Get your ass out here!"

Alisha actually snorted. "You guys know that there is something called the internet, right? We saw the story hours ago."

"It's never too late to give Green shit," Berchem replied gleefully.

"Um, we brought you these," Miller said hesitantly, holding up two bottles of wine. "The house looks nice."

"Thank you Rick," Kara replied, smiling at the redhead warmly as she took the bottles. "It's nice to know that _some_ of Danny's friends have manners."

Setting the wine down on the kitchen counter, Kara once again marveled at how comfortable she felt in this house, despite moving in less than two weeks prior. With Dahab's help the renovations, which had been at a standstill for weeks after Mark returned to Connecticut, were quickly completed and Dahab (with some input from Danny) had even found time to paint a mural of a dessert oasis in J.P.'s nursery as a surprise for Kara. One look at the intricate picture was enough to convince Tom to hire Dahab to paint a baseball field for Sam, and Kara was hoping that, as the man's English improved, Dahab might be able to find full-time work as a painter.

Suspecting that none of her guests had eaten breakfast, Kara piled a tray full of bagels and cream cheese, and took the time to refill the coffee pot. When she returned to the living room, Danny was standing in the doorway, wiping sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. Despite their company, Kara took a minute to give him a once-over, admiring the way his worn jeans clung to his hips and his shirt, drenched with sweat after a morning spent fixing a leak in the upstairs bathroom, outlined his abdomen.

"Hey, thanks Kara," Berchem said, taking a huge bite of a bagel before picking up the newspaper. Mercifully Frankie snatched it away before Berchem could treat them all to a view of his half chewed food. Shaking out the paper, Frankie began to read.

_After a massive manhunt, Niels Sorenson was arrested two days ago in a sting conducted by the FBI in conjunction with NCIS. Mr. Sorenson stands accused of attempting to modify roseusvirus, commonly known as the Red Flu and one of the deadliest pathogens known to man, to create a biological weapon. Ms. Valerie Raymond, a well-known blogger who goes by the name of Valkyrie, has been credited with assisting the FBI with the take down of the wanted fugitive after Mr. Sorenson approached Ms. Raymond to assist him with the sale of the weaponized virus._

"Assisting the FBI?" Berchem interrupted Frankie with a snort. "That crackpot is getting credit for catching the guy after she tipped him off that the FBI was closing in?"

"What can I say," Alisha responded absently, the majority of her attention on the infant she was rocking back to sleep. "My mother is nothing if not good at spin."

"There's spin and then there's invention," Cruz countered. "That is pure-up fiction."

Ignoring the guys, Kara smiled at her best friend, dropping her voice so as not to be overheard. "You're pretty good at that. You and Sarah made any decisions?"

"Yes, we're going to start trying right after the wedding. Adam already gave his samples so it's just a matter of scheduling appointments around my schedule," Alisha replied. "It's hard to believe. I could have a baby with my chin and Sarah's fingers. I never thought that was possible. We're really lucky that Sarah's family is so open about our … situation. Not many guys would be willing to donate sperm to impregnate their sister-in-law."

Kara watched as Alisha stroked her finger down J.P.'s tiny cheek. How many times had she and Danny done that very thing? Pointed out that J.P. had Kara's nose and Danny's ears and Grandma Debbie's eyes? Each time taking for granted that J.P. was biologically related to both of them? Taking for granted how little planning (none, in fact) they had put into J.P.'s conception?

"You and Sarah are going to be amazing mothers," Kara replied.

Alisha gave her a devious smile. "J.P. will be six months by then. We could try together."

Kara glowered at her friend. She might have relaxed her one-and-done stance, but there was no way she was getting pregnant again anytime in the near future. "Don't you dare give my husband any ideas."

_Doctors Rachel Scott – a world-renowned paleomicrobiologist, Quincy Tophet – a noted virologist, and Dennis Milowsky – an expert in vaccine manufacturing and genetic engineering, all of the CDC, have been credited with developing a vaccine for the Red Flu. It has been revealed that Project BlueNose, a recently unclassified mission by the United States military, was in fact a joint excursion to the Arctic by the Navy and the CDC to obtain samples from birds suspected of being the original carriers of the virus. According to Doctor Scott, these samples were critical to the development of the vaccine._

"It's a change from accusing her of being the next Doctor Mengele," Danny said dryly.

"Nice of them to give us credit," Berchem scoffed. "I mean, we weren't the ones freezing our asses off in the Arctic and then sweating our asses off in the middle of a dessert or anything."

Smith paused in the middle of spreading cream cheese on his bagel. "Why? Did you _want_ reporters following you around?"

"Well, no," Berchem admitted.

"Did someone actually chuck a rock through Commander Chandler's window?" Miller asked, waiting until everyone else sat down to help himself to a bagel.

Nishioka chuckled. "Sure did. I got the scoop from Barker. Apparently Chandler caught the kid and read him the riot act. Guess the guy almost pissed himself he was so scared."

"Enough of that, pay attention, we're getting to the good part," Frankie interrupted, snapping the newspaper open again.

_More recently Doctor Scott was able to formulate a treatment for the virus which has been effective in saving approximately 85% of victims in field trials. Two of these survivors, a Mr. Dahab Surur and his two-year-old son Jean, are currently in the United States for follow-up treatment, which will allow Doctor Scott to monitor their recovery on a long-term basis. [See picture page 1.]_

"Rachel knew that picture was going to end up on the cover," Kara teased as Frankie held up the newspaper so everyone could get a good look at the picture of Danny and Jean plastered across the front page.

_Doctor Scott said the breakthrough in developing the cure came by chance, when a routine blood test revealed that a member of her security detail was naturally immune to the virus. That man has now been publicly identified as Commander Daniel J. Green, USN, based out of Little Creek, Virginia. Correcting earlier erroneous reports, Doctor Scott assures the public that Commander Green is not an asymptomatic carrier of the Red Flu, but rather is immune and therefore cannot contract or spread the virus to others._

"See, all it took for you to get a promotion was to be accused of violating the international ban on biological weapons and then exonerated by the foremost expert in her field," Frankie teased, with a grin at Danny.

"Congratulations on the promotion, sir," Miller added.

Danny thumped the kid on the back. "We're off the ship. It's Danny now, remember?"

_Sources within the military have confirmed that Commander Green was personally chosen to head Doctor Scott's security detail in both the Arctic and the Sudan. When asked why Commander Green's identity was initially withheld, Commander Thomas Chandler, a spokesperson for the United States Navy and the captain of the destroyer that transported Doctors Scott and Tophet to the Arctic, noted the sensitive nature of Commander Green's work. In response to inquiries about his time in the Arctic, Commander Green declined to comment other than to acknowledge that the mission was a life-changing event for him, as he was introduced to his future wife._

"You are the lamest excuse for a man I have ever met," Berchem said with a shake of his head.

"It got me the girl, didn't it?" Danny replied, winking at Kara. "Which reminds me, how's Heather? We should have dinner soon."

"She's fine," Berchem muttered before turning to Frankie. "Well, come on Benz, get on with it."

_One topic that Commander Green was happy to discuss was the recent homecoming of his infant son, following a premature birth and several weeks in intensive care. [See pictures page 5.] Shooting down rumors of tension between the CDC and the military, Commander Green mentioned that he and his wife remain friendly with Doctors Scott and Milowsky, and will be attending Doctor Milowsky's upcoming wedding._

"You aren't actually going to that wedding, are you?" Frankie asked, looking at Kara rather than Danny.

Curling her feet under her, Kara smirked at Frankie's obvious unease. "Actually, we are. The wedding is on New Year's Day and we were planning to be in Connecticut for New Year's anyway, so we really had no excuse to decline."

"December will be busy then, assuming you guys are still going to Chicago," Smith noted before Frankie could comment further.

"We are," Danny replied around a bite of bagel, catching Kara by surprise.

"We are?"

This time Danny was the one to frown, quickly swallowing. "I thought Carlton talked to you about it."

Frankie picked up the newspaper again. "Shooting down rumors that his new bride was engaged in a long-term affair with fellow officer Carlton Burk, Commander Green informed this reporter that the Greens will be joining the Burk family for Christmas in Chicago…."

"It does _not_ say that," Kara snapped at Frankie as Berchem began laughing hysterically. "Carlton invited us, but I thought you would want to spend J.P.'s first Christmas with your family."

"They understand why we can't make it. I mean, it's a big deal and Carlton wants everyone there when…." Danny trailed off, his eyes widening suddenly. "Oh, shit. He didn't tell you, did he?"

"Tell us _what_?" Alisha demanded, jumping on Danny's slip.

Kara stared at her husband, her mind racing as she considered what topics Carlton might discuss with Danny before telling her or Alisha. "He's going to ask Ravit to marry him, isn't he? That's why he wants us all there?"

Danny glanced between the two women with a dazed look. "Um, maybe, I don't know. You should probably talk to Carlton."

"Man, you are _terrible_ at keeping secrets." Frankie said with a chuckle, picking the newspaper up again. "But Kara, if you _happen_ to find pictures of rings on Danny's phone or slips of paper with a ring size that isn't yours, I wouldn't be overly worried."

_Although Mr. Sorenson was found to be carrying samples of several viruses upon his arrest, Doctor Rachel Scott urged the public not to worry, stating that the samples were of several common viruses as opposed to the Red Flu. As a precaution, however, the CDC recommends that anyone who came into contact with Mr. Sorenson during the last thirty days see a doctor as soon as possible._

Cruz choked on his coffee. "Seriously? Do they actually expect people to buy that?"

"So Sorenson _was_ carrying samples of the virus?" Miller asked, causing everyone in the room to turn to him. "Just asking."

"He was carrying enough of the virus to start a pandemic," Kara confirmed with a sigh. "The vials were still sealed, thankfully. Sorenson kept claiming that he was trying to find a cure, not start a plague. I think the guy is just crazy."

"His fiancée, on the other hand, there was something strange about her. She knew more than she was letting on," Danny added.

"Guess we'll never know," Alisha said with a shrug. "Anything they say is going to be buried under layers of lies and half-truths now that the FBI has custody of them."

"All I have to say is that I'm glad we were out to sea when the shit hit the fan," Nishioka said after a moment. "Captain Slattery ran interference on all of that stuff. If it wasn't for friends forwarding me articles, I would never have known my name was on the list at all."

"Hear, hear," Cruz replied, holding up his coffee cup like a toast.

Danny took another gulp of his coffee. "If you guys are done roasting me, I do have a leaky pipe that I need to fix."

"I'll help," Smith replied, and three minutes later, the living room was once again empty of everyone except Kara, Alisha, and a sleeping J.P. as all of the guys headed upstairs to discuss the plumbing problem.

Settling back in her chair, Kara smiled at Alisha. "It's nice having you home again. I missed you, Lish."

"I missed you too." A mischievous look crossed Alisha's face. "But now that I'm back and you have _all_ of this space, there's only one thing to do. We need to plan a party."


	29. Where Kara has a Beer

 

Danny let out a relieved sigh as he stood under the steaming hot shower, stretching tight muscles. Working in the limited space under the bathroom vanity had required him to contort his body into rarely used positions, and he anticipated some sore muscles tomorrow. Still, the feeling of accomplishment that came from fixing the problem himself was well worth it. Shutting off the spray and sliding on a pair of gym shorts, Danny was toweling off his hair as he walked into the master bedroom, surprised to find Kara sitting on the bed sipping a beer, J.P. asleep beside her.

"Beer helps with milk production," Kara explained, picking up a second bottle from her nightstand and handing it to him. "Besides, it's either drink it or dump it."

Ah, that meant Debbie was coming over for dinner. Danny did some quick math. "Did she get her three month chip?"

Kara nodded, taking another swig of her beer. "Yup. And she's starting on the next step, which is making amends. So if she pulls you aside, that would be why."

Danny eased down on the other side of the bed, J.P. between he and Kara, considering his response carefully. While he genuinely liked his mother-in-law, Danny knew that he had been fortunate enough to see, for the most part, the best side of Debbie. Kara had not been accorded that luxury and Debbie's drinking had put a major strain on their relationship. Danny knew that was why Kara remained wary of her mother's sobriety, still expecting her to fall off the wagon. "Did you two talk?"

"She called me after she got her chip," Kara replied in a far-away voice, one that didn't invite inquiry. Her eyes flickered towards him. "She apologized for kissing you that first night."

For the briefest of moments Danny thought he must have misheard. Of all the ways that Debbie had hurt Kara, _that_ was the one she chose to apologize for? Honestly, Danny had figured that the woman was too wasted to remember most of that evening, especially the end. "Um..."

It was the slight tilt to Kara's mouth that gave her away. Danny took a long swallow of his beer.

"I _am_ pretty irresistible," he acknowledged with a shrug. "Can't really blame your mother for trying."

Kara giggled, the two lapsing into silence as they sipped their drinks. A pensive look crossed Kara's face. "Alisha and I were talking today about her and Sarah's plans for a baby. Sounds like they are going to start trying right after the wedding. It got me thinking. They've been through so much to be together - Alisha still isn't sure whether her mom will even go to the wedding. It was so different for us. Our families, our friends - everyone was so happy when we got married and had J.P. Everyone was so supportive. Everything just worked out. Do you think we could have done what they did? Stayed together through that kind of adversity?"

Danny didn't hesitate a second. "Yes."

"Yes, that's all you have to say?" Kara asked dubiously.

Danny shrugged. "I always knew that you were worth fighting for."

From the look on Kara's face, Danny knew that she was expecting him to say more. He stared at the bottle he was holding, struggling to find the words. "I dated Rebecca for ten years and we didn't even live in the same state most of the time. I could never explain, even to myself, why I didn't mind being apart so often. There wasn't a problem. We got along great. Our families loved each other. I always figured that we would get married eventually." Feeling Kara's tension, Danny belatedly realized that talking about his ex-girlfriend might not have been the best way to approach the topic. "I used to scoff at Frankie when he would fall head over heels for some chick who would dump him two months later and I couldn't believe it when Steve married his ex-wife barely six months after their first date. Then I met you. And I finally got it. Because from the very beginning, I knew that I wanted to spend every minute for the rest of my life with you and I didn't care what anyone said – not the Navy or my family or my friends. Pretty sure that blatantly breaking the frat rules proves that."

"Having an on-ship fling is hardly a solid basis for marriage," Kara replied, but she was smiling, the tension he sensed in her earlier dissolving. "It just means that we were horny."

"Uh-huh. And how many times have you had a fling on ship? Because I can assure you that I had a squeaky clean record before you corrupted me." Danny challenged, knowing perfectly well that he was the one and only guy to ever convince Kara to step outside the bounds of professional conduct. He found his gaze straying to Kara's lips as one particularly memorable episode came to mind. "So, just how much time do we have before your mom arrives?"

Kara narrowed her eyes as she realized where Danny was headed with that comment. "There is a baby in our bed."

"A _sleeping_ baby." Danny laughed as he finished his beer in one swallow, before rolling off the bed, grabbing Kara's hand and tugging her towards the door. "We managed to have sex on a five hundred foot destroyer stuffed with two hundred and twenty people. Pretty sure we can figure out somewhere to go in a 2,200 square foot house."


	30. Where the Greens Throw a Party

 

"What do you think?" Peter asked as Kara popped the mushroom cap into her mouth, his attention focused completely on her reaction.

"It's delicious," Kara replied honestly, resisting the urge to lick her fingers. The mushroom cap _was_ delicious, perfectly cooked and seasoned, but Kara would have said the same thing even if the food tasted like cardboard. The fact that Peter – Debbie's AA sponsor – was not only here to make sure that her mother didn't fall off the wagon, but also catering the party for the cost of food, was enough to give him an A+ in her book.

"Isn't Peter creative?" Debbie jumped in, her cheeks turning a rosy red even though her glass was filled with water. "He's always experimenting with new recipes. That's the reason his restaurant is so popular. There's always something new to try."

"The bit of citrus flavor was actually Debbie's idea," Peter replied, grinning at Debbie. "Your mother is a natural chef."

Kara fought to keep her face emotionless as she recalled the meals that she had been treated to as a child, often a random combination of whatever was in the pantry – baked beans and spaghettios, tomato soup with chunks of broccoli, evaporated milk poured over cereal. Kara couldn't imagine any of them gracing a restaurant menu.

Debbie reached over to slap Peter gently on the shoulder. "Oh you! Such a charmer."

"I, um, better check on the company," Kara muttered, grabbing another mushroom cap as she backed out of the kitchen, almost colliding with her husband.

"Whoa, where are going in such a hurry?" Danny asked, shifting the box of donuts he was holding to the side so they wouldn't be crushed.

"Someone brought donuts?" Kara asked, puzzled. Sure the party was starting on the earlier side, being that it was a combined housewarming and celebration of J.P.'s baptism, but it was still two o'clock in the afternoon.

" _Dunkin_ Donuts," Danny corrected. "And it was Cruz. Apparently he and Miller have a running dispute over whether Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kremes are better. I'll bet J.P.'s cake that Miller shows up with Krispy Kremes."

Kara snorted. "That figures."

"Anyway, I'm just going to put these in the kitchen…."

"I wouldn't," Kara responded, grabbing his arm and turning him back towards the living room.

"Do I want to know why?" Danny inquired, glancing towards the door he had been just about to open.

"Pretty sure my mother has a thing for Peter," Kara explained, lowering her voice so as not to be overheard.

Danny blinked at her blankly. "Isn't that against the rules? No dating your sponsor?"

Kara stared at him, her mouth opening and closing, before she burst out laughing. "Oh Danny, you are _such_ a boyscout."

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"How hungry are you?" Kara asked as she watched Alisha pile her plate full of mini grilled cheese, black beans and avocado quesadillas, wieners wrapped in bacon, and cream cheese balls.

"I need to figure out appetizers for the wedding," Alisha explained, reaching for the brie tucked in a puff pastry.

Kara helped herself to another mushroom cap. They really were delicious. "How is the planning going?"

"The usual." Alisha took a large bite of the puff pastry. "My mother is insisting that we submit our engagement announcement to the New York Times. She wouldn't stop talking about how much publicity it will generate."

"Your mother is seriously warped Granderson," Frankie interjected, biting into his third – or maybe fourth – donut, and handing one to Wolf. Kara didn't bother asking if it was a Dunkin Donut or Krispy Kreme, knowing that Cruz and Miller were keeping tally of which people liked better.

"Warped, maybe, but not wrong," Kara countered. "Between the Project BlueNose scandal and _both_ you and Sarah having parents who are currently running for office, you're a hot topic. Did you see how many times the local announcement was shared? It was all over Facebook."

"You Americans are too serious about politics," Wolf added, his accent making the comment rather sexy despite the context. "You need to veg out."

"Why are you here?" Alisha asked, narrowing her eyes on the Australian.

"Danny invited me," Wolf responded without hesitation.

"I mean _in this country_ ," Alisha clarified.

"I'm retired. Thought I would travel a bit." Wolf took a large bite of the donut.

"Really? You could go anywhere in the world and you chose to come to Norfolk, Virginia?" Alisha demanded, glancing back and forth between Wolf and Frankie skeptically. "So, are you just that boring or is 'I retired' code for 'I'm a contractor for the U.S. military' in Australia?"

Wolf turned to Frankie. "I think I'm going to vote for Dunkin."

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"Danny said that the three of you are coming to Connecticut for New Year's Eve," Joanne said.

Kara nodded, quickly finishing the black-bean quesadilla she was chewing. The only downside to Peter's cooking was that she couldn't seem to stop eating. "Yes. We'll spend Christmas in Chicago and then fly to Connecticut on the 27th. I assume you and Mark are attending the wedding as well?"

"Of course. Along with Caro and Chris." There was a slightly awkward silence as both women reflected on whose wedding they were discussing before Joanne changed the topic. "J.P.'s first airplane trip. That's exciting."

"And scary," Kara replied.

"True." Joanne chuckled.

"I'm sorry that we won't be there for Christmas," Kara offered. Although Danny had spoken to his family about their plans, this _was_ J.P.'s first major holiday and Kara hoped that there would be no hurt feelings.

Joanne smiled. "I had my son mostly to myself for close to thirty years – it's time to share. Danny says that Carlton is like family to you, and it makes sense that you would want to spend some holidays with your family too. Mark and I understand that."

Touched by Joanne's thoughtfulness, Kara blinked back tears. "We'll make sure to call you so you can see J.P."

"No reason to worry, it's only a few days difference anyway," Joanne reassured her. "Oh, and I wanted to extend the invitation to stay with us to your mother as well. There's no need for her to fly back from Chicago alone."

Kara's eyes flew across the room to where Debbie was chatting with Christine Slattery, recalling the earlier scene in the kitchen. "I'll ask her. But I think she might already have plans."

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Focused on her conversation with Maya Gibson, who was also a Star Trek fan, Kara almost didn't notice the sudden lull in the room.

"What's going on?" Maya asked, craning her neck to see around a bunch of the guys from CIC. Almost on cue a path opened, giving Kara a clear view of Rachel heading towards her, Tom, Ashley and Sam in her wake.

"Ah, there you are Kara," Rachel said, holding up a foil covered pan.

"So thoughtful of you to bring something," Kara answered, pretending not to notice that half of the room was buzzing over the fact that Doctor Scott and Commander Chandler – along with his children – had arrived together.

"It's cottage pie," Ashley explained. "Rachel used to make it with her mom when she was a little girl. It's kind of like Shepard's Pie but with tomato paste."

"Not tomato sauce, though," Sam added seriously. "Tomato sauce and tomato paste are different things."

"Both Ashley and Sam here are excellent cooks," Rachel replied, beaming.

"I can't wait to try it," Kara replied, smiling at the two children. "Danny set up the slip and slide in the backyard if you want to go join the Slatterys."

"Can I go see Lucas, Dad?" Sam asked, craning his neck to address his father.

"Sure buddy." Tom took Sam's hand before glancing at Rachel. "You coming?"

"I'll be along as soon. I want to take a peek at the guest of honor," Rachel replied.

"Let me set this down and you can help me get J.P. up from his nap," Kara offered, heading towards the food table to set down the cottage pie.

As they left the room, Kara saw Miller turn to Smith. "Doctor Scott cooks?"

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"We have a problem," Barker announced, voice serious as he closed in on the small group.

"Do I need to start collecting keys?" Slattery asked, his eyes flitting over the crowd.

"Mike plays bad cop well," Christine Slattery added, her tone openly flirtatious.

"You would know." Mike winked at his wife, causing Kara to wonder just how much information was _too_ much information when it came to her senior officers.

Danny glanced around the yard. "The guys seem to be behaving themselves."

And they were. Although there were more than fifty people – at least half of them young, single men – at the house, the atmosphere remained that of a family barbeque. Although Frankie refused to comment when she cornered him, Kara suspect that Danny had asked the guys to keep the alcohol to a minimum – a suspicion that was all but confirmed when Berchem walked by holding a can of soda.

"They are." Mike eyed Danny. "Another time you'll have to tell me how you managed to do that."

Tom turned to Barker. "What exactly is the problem?"

"Valerie Raymond is here," Jamie replied.

Danny set his slice of cottage pie – which was shockingly tasty – down. "I'll deal with her."

Wolf grabbed his arm. "It's your party, Green. I'll take care of her."

"Want any help?" Benz asked. "She's kind of a spitfire."

"Pretty Sheila like that?" Wolf scoffed. "I'll be fine."

Everyone watched as Wolf disappeared into the house. Finally, Mike raised his bottle. "May God have mercy on his soul.

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"Thank you for inviting me." Heather said, reaching over to touch J.P.'s tiny hand. "It was nice to see you again and to meet your son."

"Thank you for coming," Kara replied. "I hope that we'll see more of you at these events."

Heather smiled shyly. "I'd like that."

"You are always welcome," Kara assured her. "Actually, I would love it if you joined us. Being the only woman with four guys gets old."

Heather shifted nervously, shooting a glance over her shoulder, apparently confirming that Berchem was still talking to Danny. "Steve's mentioned getting together a few times but I wasn't sure if that would create a conflict…if you were still friendly with Missy, I mean."

Kara blinked at the other woman. Despite her own hesitation in meeting Danny's friends, worried about the reception that she would receive being the first new girlfriend after Rebecca, she had never considered that Heather might feel the same way.

"Actually, I never met Missy," she replied truthfully.

"Really?" Heather seemed startled.

"Really," Kara confirmed, offering the other woman a warm smile. "But I would love to spend more time with you."

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Kara gave a sigh of relief as she started the dishwasher, looking around the now sparkling kitchen to confirm that there was no remaining evidence of the party that ended only a few hours ago. She grinned at J.P., gazing at her wide-eyed from his bouncer. "You certainly have a lot of people who love you, little boy."

Peeking out the window, Kara could see Danny outside talking to his parents. Not wanting to disturb them, Kara scooped J.P. from his bouncer. "Time for bed, little man!"

Humming, Kara was almost to the nursery when an unexpected thump caught her attention. Frowning, she headed towards the guest room assigned to Danny's sister. "Caro? You okay?"

The only response was another thump and some rustling before Caro answered, her voice muffled. "The damn door is locked."

"Sorry, it's these old doors. The locks get stuck and we don't have the keys," Kara answered. "I'll be back in a sec."

Grabbing the screwdriver she stored in her nightstand drawer for exactly these kinds of situations, Kara dragged J.P.'s bouncer into the hallways so she could set the infant down while she played with the door's locking mechanism.

"Sorry about that…" Kara began as she swung the door open a minute later, only to stop short at the sight of Teylor Cruz sitting on the edge of the bed lacing up his boots.

Caro swept past Kara, stomping her way down the stairs. "I am going to _kill_ my brother."

Kara turned back to Teylor. "Um…."

"Don't worry. She's way more bark than bite."


	31. Where Danny Issues an Apology

 

"You locked your sister in the room with Teylor. Intentionally."

It was the neutral tone in Kara's voice that did it. Danny felt his relaxed mood slipping as he looked at his wife, trying to figure out why she, of all people, was upset with him for giving his sister the push she needed to work things out with Cruz. After all, it was Kara who pointed out at their wedding that both Caro and Teylor spent the evening watching each other when they thought the other one wasn't looking. "Um, yeah."

"And you don't think that's just a _tiny_ bit hypocritical?" Kara asked, slipping off the sundress she had worn for the party. Danny was tempted to take advantage of her lack of clothing, but a look at Kara's unyielding jawline nixed that idea. "After all of the crap you gave Caroline about interfering in your life? About inviting Rebecca to that ski weekend? About trying to force the two of you to work things out?"

Danny shrugged, enjoying the view as Kara changed into a pair of ratty gym shorts and a halter top. "It's not the same at all. Rebecca and I were over. There was nothing to work out. But Caro just needed a little push to smooth things over with Cruz."

"And did your plan work?" Kara asked evenly.

"Well…."

_Shit_.

"There's no indication that it _didn't_ work," Danny hedged.

Kara gave him that same level look. "You aren't helping your case here, Danny. Caroline and Teylor are both adults. If they wanted to talk, they knew how. You're assuming that you know what is best for Caroline, just like Caroline assumed she knew what you and Rebecca wanted. You owe her an apology."

Groaning, Danny flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He hated being wrong. He especially hated being wrong when Kara was right. And he really, really, really hated being wrong when it came to his sister. "I hate apologizing to Caroline. She gloats. And she never lets it go."

Kara's lips twitched as she looked at him. "Do you think waiting six months to apologize is going to make it any better?"

Despite his irritation, Danny found himself chuckling. "Doubtful. Although I wouldn't say that Caro ever actually apologized. It was more like we mutually decided to avoid the topic."

"And your point is..."

"Fine," Danny snapped, ignoring the smirk that Kara was trying to hide behind her book. "I'll talk to her."

Caro's assigned room was only fifteen feet down the hall, but Danny made a detour to the kitchen first to locate the remaining beer from the party. He might be willing to go head-to-head with an Iraqi insurgent or Sudanese terrorist dead-sober, but dealing with his sister was something else entirely. Opening two bottles, he headed upstairs, checking to make sure that her light was on before knocking on the door.

"Come in."

A hint of surprise crossed Caro's face before her eyes fixing on the second beer he was holding. "Is that your version of an apology?"

"More like a peace offering," Danny replied, handing her the bottle and leaning against the wall of the small room. "Whatever is going on between you and Teylor is none of my business. I should have stayed out of it. Sorry I butted in."

"Very mature of you." Caro examined him for a minute. "Your wife send you in here to apologize?"

Danny chuckled. "Not in so many words, but yeah. She seems to think that us not talking for six months this time is unacceptable."

"I like Kara. She's doesn't put up with your crap." Caro tipped back her bottle. "And for what it's worth, I was wrong. About Rebecca, I mean. You're both a lot happier now."

Dumbfounded by the admission, Danny choked on his beer, earning a death stare from his sister. When he could breathe again, he smirked at Caro. "For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure that I'm _not_ wrong about Teylor."

Caro rolled her eyes. "You suck."

"But I'm funny," Danny replied easily.

"Not as funny as you think you are," Caro retorted. The two stared at each other for a second, and then burst out laughing.

"So am I forgiven?" Danny dared to ask.

Caro snorted. "Not a chance. You locked me in a room, Danny. It's going to take way more than an apology."

"Well, it was worth a shot," Danny replied, unperturbed by the idea of Caro being annoyed at him, given how often that happened.

"It actually wasn't so bad being stuck here with Teylor," Caro said after a few minutes of silence. "We might have worked some things out."

"I figured."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Caro snapped.

Danny grinned at his sister. "The door might have been locked but if you really wanted to get rid of him, you would have thrown him out the window."


	32. Where Danny and Kara Make a Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this story as a one-shot and then I just couldn't seem to stop adding to it because it was just so much fun to write. Finishing makes me both happy and a little bit sad. A special thank you to Kamilad and Scousedancer for all of your advice and support!

 

"You're kidding, right?" Alisha demanded incredulously.

Wolf slung his bag over his shoulder, looking amused. "Nope. We've been texted all week."

"With Valerie Raymond, aka Valkyrie, aka the woman who accused us of being bioterrorists?" Alisha clarified.

"My name wasn't on the list," Wolf replied easily, appearing unconcerned by Alisha's growing outrage.

Putting J.P.'s carseat on the luggage cart, Danny shook his head, leaning towards Kara to murmur, "We all know he's just trying to rile her up. Why does she rise to the bait every time?"

Apparently having come to the same conclusion, Alisha glared at the Aussie. "You have a date with Valerie Raymond."

"Yup. The weekend after I get back to Norfolk," Wolf said. "Any suggestions for restaurants?"

Alisha gave the man another incredulous look. "Why in God's name would you want to go out with that lunatic?"

"That's really not nice, Lieutenant. Valerie's a human being. She has feelings too," Wolf chided, although he didn't sound the least bit perturbed.

"The woman released the date, location and guest list for my wedding – which meant that the press showed up in mass to harass my guests – and you want me to worry about _her_ feelings?" Alisha snapped.

"Well, in fairness, your mother might have asked her to do that," Sarah interjected.

"And I would have the same complaint if Wolf was going on a date with my mother," Alisha retorted.

Danny turned a sickly green color, swallowing quickly. "Please don't go there."

"Val may be a little crazy," Wolf acknowledged. "But she's funny. And hot."

"If you're into the Sideshow Bob look," Danny commented under his breath, causing Sarah to giggle.

"Just a _little_ crazy," Alisha turned to Kara, rolling her eyes. "Can you believe this guy?"

Kara shrugged, occupied with adjusting the strap of J.P.'s carrier and counting their bags to make sure that all of their bags made it off the airport shuttle. Traveling with an infant was not for the faint of heart. J.P. had more luggage than everyone else combined.

"But crazy is kind of sexy," Wolf continued.

Both Kara and Sarah giggled at the look on Alisha's face. Alisha turned to Danny. "Please tell me that you don't agree with him."

"Well..." Danny paused a little too long.

"You've got to be kidding!" Alisha grabbed Sarah's hand. "Thank goodness I have you. I will never understand straight men."

"Just end every sentence with 'in bed.'" Sarah replied. "Adam taught me that trick and it works remarkably well. So here you would say 'Crazy is kind of sexy _in bed_.' And, voila, you are thinking like a man."

Fortunately, before Alisha could respond, Debbie, the last of their party, exited the shuttle, catching Wolf's attention. "Mrs. Foster, your friend Peter owns a restaurant right?"

"Yes, he does," Debbie responded, seeming surprised by the out-of-the-blue question.

Wolf grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Think you can help me with a reservation? I'm trying to impress a girl."

"In bed," Sarah added with a smirk.

Shaking her head, Kara leaned towards Danny. "This is going to be a _long_ flight."

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"Does it really take six people to transport one baby from Norfolk to Chicago?"

"Carlton!" Kara rushed forward to give the man a hug. Although they had seen each other at Alisha and Sarah's wedding only two months ago, it felt much longer. As Alisha's matron of honor, Kara had been too busy with wedding activities - and running interference between Alisha and her mother - to do little more than say hello and goodbye to Carlton. Instead, Carlton had spent most of his time in Norfolk with Danny and Frankie shopping for engagement rings, an experience that Frankie likened to being stung by a hive of bees. At least Alisha and Sarah's nuptial had gone smoothly, the only hitch coming in the form of the paparazzi demanding statements from Mrs. Granderson and Senator Hansen. The ceremony itself had been simple yet sophisticated, with Kara and Adam the only attendants, and Sarah and Alisha exchanging emotional vows. The reception that followed was a perfect example of modern chic and went off without a hitch, Alisha having planned every detail from the choreographed first dance to the number of tomatoes to be served with each salad.

Alisha _was_ still annoyed that her mother had leaked the professional wedding pictures to the press before remembering to show them to her daughter, but fortunately for family relations, Alisha and Sarah would not be seeing Amy until after the holidays. The two were spending Christmas at Carlton's home and then traveling to Wisconsin to spend New Year's Eve with Sarah's family, giving Alisha amble time to get over her irritation at her mother.

"I love watching my wife throw herself into another man's arms," Danny said, his voice wry.

"Eh, it's just Carlton. He's harmless," a familiar voice responded.

Kara turned with a warm smile. "Ravit!"

"There's my favorite Israeli," Wolf said, swinging Ravit up into a tight hug. He stepped back and looked her over from head to toe. "You look good. Burk seems to agree with you."

Leaning over to give Ravit a hug, Kara privately agreed with Wolf's assessment. Ravit was almost glowing, appearing far happier and more relaxed than she did during her time in Norfolk. "Remind me later to tell you who Taylor is dating. It's epic."

Ravit shook her head. "Let me guess. She's crazy."

"How did you know?" Alisha asked.

"It's his thing. Never goes for the normal ones. At least he knows where to draw a line. He's never actually married one of them," Ravit explained, before changing the topic. "Congratulations by the way. I was so disappointed to miss the wedding."

Alisha waved a hand. "Work. I get it. The important thing is that we're together now."

"Yes, we are." Danny clapped Carlton on the shoulder. "Good to see you again, man."

"You too." Carlton's eyes slid to the infant that Danny held in his arms. "The kid has gotten big. How old is he now?"

"Seven months," Danny replied.

"Isn't this about the time where you get knocked up again?" Carlton joked, drawing a laugh from the company.

"I think Bivas might be a bad influence on you, Burk," Danny replied. "You would never have made that comment on the James."

"Why do you think I keep her around?" Carlton replied, smirking.

Ravit scowled suddenly, glancing at her watch. "We have to go or we'll be late for dinner."

"Do we have a reservation?" Alisha asked.

"Worse," Ravit explained. "Carlton's mother is cooking."

"Okay people, let's pick up the pace." Kara swung the diaper bag over her shoulder and was reaching for J.P.'s carseat before she noticed the confused faces around her. "For those of you who have not previously enjoyed a stay at Casa Burk, you do not want to be late to one of Marian's dinners. That woman could make Slattery cry."

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"The ring was gorgeous. You and Carlton did a really nice job," Kara said quietly as she settled a sleeping J.P. into the travel crib in the corner of the room. Due to the large number of people staying with the Burks, Danny, Kara and J.P. were staying in Carlton's childhood bedroom while Ravit took one guest bedroom and Alisha and Sarah took the other. Carlton and Wolf were officially bunking with Burk's brother but, given the evening's events, Kara doubted that Carlton would actually be sleeping there.

"Honestly I didn't take Bivas for the sentimental type," Danny admitted from his position lounging across the bed, dressed only in a pair of low riding shorts. "But she loved that inscription Carlton picked for the ring."

_I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine._

Tears welled up in Kara's eyes as she recalled the look of concentration on Carlton's face when he pulled out the antique gold band with inlaid diamonds, struggling to say the words in Hebrew before translating them into English. In response, Ravit simply stared at him, her face expressionless. The room must have been dead silent for a full minute before a single tear rolled down Ravit's cheek and a smile slowly spread across her face. When she finally stretched out a shaking hand towards Carlton, the entire room let out a collective sigh of relief. It was apparently shock, rather than consternation, which caused Ravit's delayed response.

"Having Ravit's mother here to surprise her was a nice touch," Kara noted.

"Wolf helped coordinate that one. I'm just glad he made arrangements for her to stay at a hotel. She and Marion both seem to have...strong ideas about how to do things," Danny added with a chuckle.

"I can see why Carlton wants to elope. They might just kill each other planning a wedding." Kara looked down, distracted by the blinking light of her phone.

"Something important?" Danny asked.

Kara glanced up from her phone. "Oh, it's just Rachel. She wanted a recipe for enchiladas. Apparently she and Ashley are starting a tradition of cooking together on Wednesday and she needs more ideas."

"Doc's spending a lot of time with the kids. It seems like it's getting pretty serious," Danny noted, rolling onto his side and propping his head up with his hand. "Think there is another engagement in the making?"

"Tom's wife died less than a year ago," Kara reminded him. "I suspect that they will want to wait a while. But you never know. Rachel agreeing to take the position in Washington was a big step."

"That reminds me," Danny began, before stopping, nibbling on his lip.

"What?" Kara asked, sliding under the sheets and snuggling up to her husband.

"I spoke with my CO. I've been offered a position with Naval Intelligence. They are creating a specialized team to work with the CDC to respond quickly to biological threats. Tom recommended me for the position. I'd be working with an old student of his – a Sasha Cooper. She'll be heading up the team, although I understand that she is out on maternity leave at the moment."

Kara tried not to react. "What kind of work would you be doing?"

"Same old stuff," Danny replied vaguely – meaning that it was either classified or dangerous, which made sense given that the job involved biological threats. _Damn._ There were times when Kara really wished that she had married an accountant.

"It would mean leaving the guys," Kara said slowly.

"That's a big downside," Danny acknowledged. "But I have to think about what's best for us, for our family, and this job has a lot going for it. The team would be based out of Virginia and the time overseas would be shorter – a couple weeks here and there rather than six or twelve month deployments. Plus, Dam Neck is only thirty minutes from Norfolk so we wouldn't need to move. And we wouldn't have to worry as much about being stationed at different bases."

Startled, Kara realized that Danny must have given this offer a lot of thought. "Do you want to take it?"

"I do. It would mean being home more and I think that might be a good thing, especially now." Danny paused, taking a deep breath. "I saw the test, Kara. When were you going to tell me?"

It took Kara a minute to piece it together, but when she did she sat up, scowling at Danny. "What were you doing in my phone, Daniel Joshua Green?"

"I needed to check the score and my battery was dead," Danny replied with a shrug. "Does it really matter?"

"Yes, it matters." Kara crossed her arms over her chest, trying to decide how annoyed she was at her husband, something that was difficult when he was giving her that heart-melting smile. "It matters because it wasn't my test."

Danny's smile disappeared and his face became adorable befuddled. "What?"

Kara leaned down, balancing herself on Danny's bare chest. "It was Alisha's test. She sent me the picture."

Danny blinked once, then again, before comprehension hit. "Alisha's pregnant?"

"Yes. She just found out. They're going to tell Sarah's family over New Year's but until then it's a secret," Kara explained. "So you can't say anything to anyone, even Carlton."

"So that means you aren't pregnant?" Danny asked, and Kara thought she heard a note of disappointment in his voice.

"No." Kara considered the question and then, aware that she and Danny were not the _best_ example of how to effectively use of birth control, modified her answer. "Well, not that I know of."

"Huh."

Kara studied his face. "You seem disappointed."

Danny stared up at the ceiling for a moment before wrapping his arms around her. "I guess I got excited when I saw the test. I was thinking about how this time I might actually be able to go to the ultrasounds and build the crib and be there for the baby shower and do all of the stuff that I missed with J.P."

"You did the best you could Danny," Kara said softly, reaching up to cup his cheek. "I understood why you couldn't be there for everything."

Danny nodded but the shadow in his eyes, one of self-imposed guilt, remained. "I know that we talked about waiting a couple of years and I don't want to pressure you, but … it would be kind of nice having them close in age. Caro and I are less than two years apart and we were inseparable as kids."

"Your relationship with your sister is not really a selling point for having more children," Kara informed him dryly, although it wasn't entirely true. Despite the frequent conflicts between Danny and his sister, Kara loved how close-knit the Green family was. It was a closeness that she hoped that she and Danny could replicate. Kara hesitated a minute, then admitted, "I thought the same thing when Alisha told me. I started imagining what it would be like to have another one. How nice it would be for J.P. to have a brother or sister. How much fun it would be for our kids and Alisha's kids to grow up together."

A smile spread over Danny's face, the one that never failed to melt Kara's heart and he tugged her closer. "We might have a girl this time."

Kara narrowed her eyes at him. "That is _not_ going to work."

"What?" He replied innocently.

"That smile," Kara explained, poking him in the ribs.

"Well if I can't convince you, take a look at your son and think about what an amazing big brother he would be," Danny cajoled.

"We do make damn awesome kids." Kara's gaze shifted back and forth between J.P. and Danny, feeling her little remaining resistance crumble. "I suppose we could see what happens."

The words were barely out of her mouth before Kara found herself flat on her back, being thoroughly kissed. A minute later Danny leaned back far enough to grasp the hem of her shirt, flashing her another stunning smile as it pulled it over her head. "Sounds like a plan."


	33. Chapter 33

 

_One Year Later_

_x_

Kara's third perusal of the Car and Driver magazine – a magazine in which she had absolutely no interest in the first time around and was skimming merely to have something to do with her hands – was interrupted by the ding of her phone. Picking it up, she checked the message.

_Running late. ETA 30. Want me to pick up dinner?_

As she stared at the message, Kara fought the urge to cry. So much for her plans for the evening. After almost two years of marriage Kara recognized the offer to pick up food for what it was – both a peace offering and a built-in excuse when the thirty minute _estimated_ time of arrival turned into a sixty minute _actual_ time of arrival. After all, there was no way for Kara to verify how long the line at the pizza joint was.

Most nights Kara wouldn't have cared. After all, this wasn't unusual. Upon being promoted to Lieutenant Commander Danny's workload, especially the required paperwork, increased significantly and he often worked late during the week in order to keep the weekends free for time with Kara and J.P. But tonight was different – _tonight was supposed to be special._

Kara glanced at the dining room table, carefully set with the good china, the champagne, the flickering candles, Handel's Messiah playing in the background. Annoyed at herself for getting upset, She brushed away tears as she started to stand up, only to get tangled in the complicated wrap dress Alisha talked her into buying for the occasion – the kind of outfit that Kara would normally never be caught dead in as it not only followed every one of her curves, but it was also rather sheer. Moving towards the table to blow out the candles before they set the evergreen centerpiece on fire, Kara tapped out a response.

_Nope. Already done. Just waiting on you._

Wondering how bad scorched lemon chicken would taste, Kara dialed Alisha. While she waited for her best friend to pick up, Kara wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and absently moved some of the ornaments lower on the Christmas tree. At eighteen months, J.P. was enamored with the tree and loved pulling the ornaments off, leaving the bottom two feet of the tree bare.

"What's wrong?" Alisha asked without preamble, yelling to be heard over the sound of her and Sarah's four-month-old daughter, who was screaming her head off.

"Nothing's wrong," Kara replied, instantly feeling guilty for calling when Alisha was obviously busy. "Did I wake Lilliana up?"

"If nothing was wrong you would be rolling around naked under the Christmas tree with your husband rather than calling me," Alisha retorted. "And no, she always screams from six to eight at night. It's her thing apparently."

Kara flushed, still not entirely comfortable with Alisha's casual references to sex. At least Alisha didn't share details, for the most part, as Kara didn't want to know that much information about either Sarah or her best friend. "He's running late. I think I'm going to call it, try again another night. Do you want me to come get J.P.? I know he can be a handful."

Not that Sarah seemed to have trouble managing the rambunctious eighteen-month old. Sarah thrived as both a mom and a nanny, never seeming frazzled or exhausted the way Kara did after a weekend with J.P. In fact, Sarah was so attached to J.P. that she wouldn't even discuss Danny and Kara sending the boy to a childcare center upon Liliana's arrival, insisting that she was perfectly capable of handling both an infant and a toddler. And the love went both ways, to the point that Kara sometimes wondered whether J.P. preferred Sarah over her, a fleeting though that always vanished when she arrived home from work and J.P. ran towards her as quickly as his little legs could manage, his face beaming at the sight of his mama.

"J.P.'s already asleep, no reason to bother him. Hold on." There was a brief pause on the other end of the line as Kara heard Sarah's voice, then the crying became muffled.

"Are you hiding in the bathroom?" Kara asked, unable to keep the amusement out her voice.

"The closet, actually," Alisha replied without a bit of shame. "If you even think about chickening out after the effort I put into curling your hair, I will cut you out of my life. Seriously."

Kara laughed, twirling one of the curls that Alisha had so painstakingly coaxed out of Kara's stick-straight locks. "I feel ridiculous. I put all of this work into making a special meal and finding the perfect outfit and even asking you to keep J.P. overnight, and now I'm just sitting here. It reminds me of the time I got stood up for the prom."

"You got stood up for the prom?" Alisha sounded only mildly curious about what, normally, would be a juicy bit of gossip.

"Lucas McIntosh. He broke my heart that night. I thought I would never recover." Kara explained, surprised by the lack of response from Alisha, who was an inveterate gossip. This type of story was right up her alley. "Of course, then it turned out that he was really a Palestinian spy sent to infiltrate my high school and stop WWIII. The last name should have clued me in, of course." She waited a few seconds. "You still there?"

"You aren't being stood up," Alisha said finally, confirming Kara's assumption that she hadn't listened to a word Kara said. "Text that boy and tell him to get his ass home pronto. Maybe send him a picture so he can see what he's missing out on. You look hot in that dress. Too bad you aren't into women. We could make this a night to remember."

Kara smiled. As though Alisha would ever look at anyone other than her wife. "Pretty sure Sarah would object to sharing."

Alisha gave a long, drawn out sigh. "You're probably right. She's kind of possessive. Good thing I love her."

"Well, you're obviously busy so I'll let you go."

Alisha didn't argue. "Talk tomorrow?"

"Call when you're ready for me to pick J.P. up," Kara reminded her, before saying her goodbyes and hanging up. Checking the time, she realized that she had at least twenty more minutes before Danny would be home. Pursing her lips, Kara decided that she might as well be useful and began digging out the mountain of gifts she needed to wrap.

Forty minutes later, she was stuffing the last of the packages under the back of the tree where J.P. was less likely to get to them and undo all of the work she had just done when she heard the front door open, followed by Danny's voice. "I'm home."

"In the family room." As she went to crawl out from under the tree, however, Kara discovered that her ridiculous expensive dress was caught on a tree branch. Cursing Alisha, Kara furiously tried to free herself before Danny saw her.

Two muddy combat boots appeared by her knees. "Am I allowed to ask what you're doing under the tree?"

After one last unsuccessful tug – she just couldn't get the right angle – Kara admitted defeat. "I'm caught on a branch. You could try helping."

Blue eyes appeared as Danny crouched down next to her, not bothering to contain his mirth at her predicament, making quick work of the snag, before sitting back on his heels to allow Kara to wiggle out. As Danny helped her to her feet, Kara caught a glimpse of herself in the hall mirror. Her dress was now rumpled and covered in pine needles, her hair frizzing around her head, and she wasn't wearing any shoes. _Not exactly the look she was going for._ Her cheeks burned. "Thanks. That was stupid. I should probably change before the dress gets ruined."

"No!" The protest was immediate and Kara stopped brushing pine needles off her arms to look at her husband, watching as Danny's gaze rolled slowly down her body, taking in each curve, his eyes smoldering. "You look amazing."

_Maybe tonight could still be salvaged_. Kara smiled, reaching out to flick a bit of mud off his collar, resting her hand on his chest, feeling the thud of his heart. How long had it been since they spent time together like this, just the two of them? "I would say the same, but you look a little muddy right now. Weren't you complaining yesterday that you never get to go into the field anymore?"

A shadow crossed Danny's face. "There was a training exercise. Young guy. It was pretty bad. He might lose a finger."

"I'm sorry." Kara reached up, smoothing the wrinkles from his forehead, her irritation dissolving. She knew how hard Danny took any accident. It was the reason he pushed his teams hard during training, so that there would be no accidents, no injuries and, most importantly, no deaths. "I made lemon chicken for dinner."

Her attempt to lighten the mood worked, Danny gracing her with the smile that still made her stomach flip. His arms sliding around her waist, Danny leaned in, pressing a soft kiss against her lips.

"No wonder Alisha told me to get my ass home," he murmured before stiffening, leaning back. "You're dressed up and made dinner. Did I forget an anniversary?"

"No," Kara replied, deciding to ignore Alisha's interference as she moved towards the kitchen to retrieve their dinner. "Your family and the Burks arrive Sunday. I thought it might be nice to have a night, just the two of us, before we were inundated."

"Just the two of us? Where's J.P.?" Danny called after her.

"Alisha and Sarah kept him," Kara responded from the kitchen. A peak in the oven revealed that the chicken and potatoes weren't in too bad of shape, although the beans were a lost cause.

When she returned Danny was inspecting the bottle sitting in what had been a container of ice when Kara filled it but was now mostly water. "Champagne? Are you planning to get me drunk and have your wicked way with me, Mrs. Green?"

Kara set the chicken down, moving back to retrieve the potatoes and salad. "I can have my wicked way with you any time I want, Commander. The champagne is to celebrate."

"A child-free night? I'll drink to that." Danny popped the champagne, filling the glasses that she set out earlier. He passed one to Kara. "A toast. To us."

"To us." Kara repeated, sipping her champagne. It was lovely, even if she really shouldn't be drinking it. Setting down her glass, she began nibbling on a potato before deciding it was inedible. At least the chicken wasn't terrible, just dry. Danny disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a container of sour cream, which he promptly globed onto his plate. Kara gave him an exasperated look. "That's disgusting."

"The potatoes are a little … hard," Danny muttered around a mouthful of sour cream, earning himself a glare. "Hey, can't blame a guy for being late when he didn't know there were plans."

Deciding that she wasn't to ruin dinner over overcooked potatoes, Kara changed the topic. "Carlton and Ravit are coming to Norfolk for Christmas after all. They'll celebrate Hanukah in Greece with Ravit's family and then fly here. They arrive on Christmas Day. I'm sure that Marion will be all over them to set a date."

Danny's head shot up. "He hasn't told her yet?"

"Nope." Kara took a long sip of her water. "Marion is going to be furious. Alisha thinks that Carlton is planning to use J.P. and Lilliana as human shields, figuring that his mother wouldn't actually harm a child."

"I wouldn't count on it. Getting married in secret was bad enough but getting married by a rabbi? He's pretty much a dead man," Danny responded, although he obviously wasn't concerned enough to stop eating. "Frankie is going to be pissed that he decided to go back to California. Between my sister and the Burks, this holiday is going to epic."

Kara wrinkled her nose as the scent of sour cream wafted across the table. The stuff really was revolting. "Are Caroline and Teylor fighting again?"

"No, but they will be. They always are."

Kara conceded the point. Caroline Green and Teylor Cruz were certainly an unusual couple, although not the oddest that Kara had seen. That award went to Wolf Taylor and Valerie Raymond, a pairing that Kara had never imagined and still found unsettling. Valerie was, after all, responsible for making her and Danny's life miserable the summer J.P. was born, something for which she never apologized. At least Wolf seemed to be looking at the relationship as a fling (although it had lasted almost a year now). Kara wasn't sure whether she could deal with having the obnoxious computer nerd in her life permanently.

"So," Danny began, his voice sultry as he smiled at her charmingly, "is there dessert?"

Kara stood, heading towards the kitchen. "I bought ice cream and I think we have some cookies…"

"Actually I was thinking of something a little different," Danny murmured into her ear, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She hadn't heard him leave the table, but that wasn't surprisingly, the man was incredibly quick and stealthy when he wanted to be. One hand slid beneath the edge of Kara's v-neck dress to play with the underside of her breast, sending a shiver down her spine.

Kara struggled to remember her plans for the evening when Danny nipped at the underside of her jaw. No J.P., no work, no family – an entire night with her husband with nothing to interrupt them. Kara turned her head to give him a lingering kiss, before her hand settling over his, pulling it out from her dress. Intertwining their fingers, she led him to the Christmas tree.

"I, ah, have a gift for you," she said breathlessly.

"Do I get to unwrap this gift?"

Danny's eyes gleamed as he took in the sight of her by the tree and Kara knew immediately that he had gotten the wrong idea. Grabbing the gift off the mantel, she shoved the small, silver box into his hands. "Here."

Taken aback by the appearance of an _actual_ gift, Danny removed the box lid, brow furrowing as he removed the item of clothing within. "I think you bought the wrong size, sweetheart."

"Read what it says," Kara explained patiently.

"I'm going to be a big broth…" Danny froze, his attention glued on the small shirt before he raised his gaze to Kara's face. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes. Due in late July."

She waited while he stared at the shirt, processing the news. They had both been surprised when, upon deciding to throw caution (and the birth control) out the window last winter, nothing happened. There were reasons, of course. First Kara was nursing and then Danny was sent overseas and as soon as he returned Kara left for training in California, a trip that convinced her she would never be able to do another deployment, the two weeks away from J.P. the worst two weeks of her life. But while Kara was mildly disappointed by the delay, Danny took the news harder, going from talking about another baby constantly to never mentioning the topic at all.

It was the reason she wanted tonight to be so special. A celebration of a much loved, much wanted, child.

Just as Kara was beginning to worry about Danny's lack of reaction, he dropped the shirt, a beaming smile breaking across his face as he picked up Kara, swinging her around with a whoop before tumbling them both onto the couch, a hand sliding back inside her dress, this time to cup her stomach. "You're sure?"

"One hundred percent. I hid the ultrasound pictures in my desk this time." Seeing the tears glittering in Danny's eyes, Kara raised her hands to his face, cupping his cheeks as she leaned in to give him a gentle kiss, one that quickly became something more, their tongues tangling in a way that was now achingly familiar and yet no less electrifying than the first time. Kara wrapped her arms around Danny's neck and his hand tangled in her hair as the embrace went on and on, neither one willing to pull away.

"Thank you." The words were mumbled against her lips.

Kara slid her hands from Danny's neck to his chest, feeling how solid he was, how present, wondering once again how she ever got so lucky. Her lips curled as she gave him a final soft, nipping kiss before sitting up straight. "Now, if you want, you can unwrap your present."


End file.
